The magnificent Gothic Rouen Cathedral has the tallest church spire in France and a wealth of art, history, and architectural details. Every summer, the magnificent cathedral in Rouen comes to life at nightfall with a breathtaking light show projected upon its facade.
Oscar Claude Monet, an impressionist artist, created a series of famous paintings of the Rouen Cathedral representing the same scene in various weather conditions as well as at different times of a day. Twelve paintings of Rouen Cathedral by Monet, including the portal of Rouen Cathedral in the morning light, are housed in the art galleries and museums across Europe and the US. Each of these paintings is now worth more than 40 million dollars.
Rouen Cathedral (La cathédrale primatiale Notre-Dame de l’Assomption de Rouen) is one of the most impressive Gothic churches ever built. Construction dragged on for three centuries allowing all forms of the Gothic spectrum from early to high, flamboyant, and late to feature in the main structures. The spire is even Neo-Gothic – added in the 19th century, it is the tallest church tower in France. The dukes of Normandy were traditionally crowned here and several are buried in the cathedral, including the heart of Richard the Lion Heart. Joan of Arc was put on trial in the bishops’ palace. The church has some stained-glass windows from the early-13th century and the oldest recumbent tomb statue in France.
The western facade of Rouen Cathedral is the largest of any church in France. Western facade – a Monet Favorite. The oldest parts of the Gothic cathedral are the left tower and the two side portals on the Western facade – these date from the 12th century. The tympana are from the 13th century – the one on the left above the Portail St Jean shows the death of John the Baptist and on the Portail St Etienne the stoning of St Stephan (the first Christian martyr). The latticework window gallery and gables are Flamboyant Gothic from the late 14 th, early 15th centuries.
Rouen Cathedral The Early Gothic Tour St-Romain, the tower on the left (north), is the older with its base dating from the 12thcentury. Its construction is generally seen as the start of the Gothic cathedral building project. The roof with golden suns, which was only added in the 15th century, burned down in 1944 after a bombing raid by the US Air Force but was restored true to the original.
In 1507, the grander Flamboyant Gothic south tower was the last major part of the church to have been completed. It carries an octagonal crown and never had a steeple. It is known as the Tour de Beurre (Butter Tower), as it was believed that the construction was financed through indulgences paid by some of the rich, who did not give up eating butter during lent. (The magnificent Gothic cathedral in Bourges, France Centre, has a similar Butter Tower.)
The central doorway was only completed in the 16th century, as the construction of the Butter Tower damaged the older structure. The tympanum here has the Tree of Jesse. It was destroyed by the Huguenots during the Wars of Religion but replaced in the early 17th century and recently restored. The row of apostles are copies – the surviving statues can be seen close up in the ambulatory of the church (until they are moved eventually to a museum).
Rouen Cathedral’s transept can be entered from the north through the Portail des Libraries (Booksellers Portal). It is reached via a Flamboyant Gothic stone gateway and the Cours des Libraries, a courtyard traditionally used by booksellers. Note here the reliefs with scenes from the creation and early Genesis, as well as some fantasy animals, many combining body parts from humans.
Adjacent to the courtyard is the Bishop’s Palace (Archevêché) where Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) was tried and convicted in 1431. A plaque here reminds that she was rehabilitated in 1456, after Charles VII retook Rouen from the English. A chapel in the cathedral is dedicated to Joan of Arc but a large 20 th-century church at the other end of the old town is the main shrine to Jeanne d’Arc, who became the patron saint of France in 1920.
The interior of Rouen Cathedral is High Gothic at its best. The nave soars four stories high and the church seems to stretch on forever. The Rouen Cathedral is third in length in France after the huge Reims and Amiens cathedrals.
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