Rouen II

JEANNE D’ARC The story of Joan of Arc is well-known, mostly because of her horrible death on May 30, 1431, but also because she came to help the French King Charles VII to defeat the English. It is possible to see the site where the stake was placed. It is adjacent to a church named for her and joined to the central marketplace. The old marketplace and the church that stood near it were destroyed in the Second World War. They were replaced with harmonious and beautiful modern structures that fit into the area surrounded by half-timbered and newer buildings.

Inside, the church resembles an upturned boat; like old Norman churches, the wooden structure remains visible.

The exterior evokes the sea with a roof formed of slate shells. The stained glass panels come from the 16th c. Renaissance church nearby that was destroyed; they illustrate Bible scenes and legends.



THE MARKETPLACE: There has been a market on this site since the 11th c. Now it is open every morning except Monday and on Friday and Saturday afternoons as well; it is always crowded. The stalls inside are spotless, the fish stand is odorless, and the marketplace is washed every day after closing.

FAMOUS RESIDENTS: On my walks I passed the house where Pierre Corneille was born in 1606 and where he wrote “Le Cid.” It was closed when I was there and I did not go back. Gustave Flaubert was also born in Rouen, but I saw only a statue of him.


THE CLOCK: I continued along the same street going through the center of the city. It was crowded with people filling the pedestrian walkway, not having to worry about traffic. The street, Rue du Gros Horloge, is named for the large Renaissance clock over a Roman arch, a former gate in the ancient Roman walls. The clock has two faces –one on each side of the arch - were installed in 1409 on the Gothic belfry built in the late 14th c. It was intended to house the town’s bells which would ring as the clock struck the hour, the half-hour, and the quarter-hour. The clocks and archways are highly decorated, frequently with sheep to illustrate the importance of the wool trade to Rouen. The lamb is part of the coat of arms of Rouen.

FOOD: There were many places to choose from for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My favorite breakfast spot was Paul, a chain of bakeries known for the quality of their products and the efficiency and charm of their breakfast café service. Perhaps the best dinner I had was at Minute et Mijoté, a small, inviting restaurant. I remember the dessert, a peach and pear compote on top of which were pastry leaves, the whole surrounded by caramel sauce. I also remember the owner/chef who showed me a photo taken at Versailles of himself with President Nixon; the chef was in charge of the kitchens on that occasion.

PALACE OF JUSTICE and PARLEMENT : This is an important and beautiful example of civil architecture at the end of the Middle Ages. The oldest part (with the highest roof) was begun in 1499 as a High Court of Finance and Justice for Normandy. Starting in 1508, it was enlarged by a new wing perpendicular to the Court, the Royal Palace which was finished at the end of the 16th c. During this time the King, François I, transformed the Court into the Parlement for Normandy; that wing was sumptuously decorated with large windows and an openwork balustrade with ornate pinnacles surrounding smaller, arched windows. Supporting pillars link the lower and upper windows to create a unified façade.

COLLECTION OF WROUGHT IRON The Musée le Secq des Tournelles was the most unusual place I visited. It was a museum of wrought iron work, located in the former church of St. Laurent. The collection emphasizes the artistic aspects of the objects. The collection is amazing in its breadth and depth. The objects selected represent almost every possible use: jewelry, compasses, candlesnuffers, irons, hotplates, cooking pots, irons, keys, locks…There are often many examples of each type and it was easy to recognize how the design of the objects were a product of their time: Renaissance keys resembled Renaissance architecture.
Musee Le Secq des Tournelles http://www.framemuseums.org/jsp/fiche_musee.jsp?STNAV=&RUBNAV=&CODE=M114311147790632&LANGUE=1&RH=


The collection encompasses history from gallo-roman times to the 20th c. and geographical regions all over Europe (England, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Russia). The museum space may have been relatively small, but so were the hundreds of objects, so my visit lasted most of the day. The museum closed for 90 minutes at noon, so I left for lunch (Café Socrate) and returned in the afternoon.
http://www.rouen-musees.com/index.php?idR=22

BRIDGES: The Pont Boieldieu is one of four bridges linking the two banks of the Seine at the center . (There are other bridges up- and down-stream.) Rouen actually developed in Roman times around a bridge that spanned the estuary of the Seine. The high banks of the river protected the land from floods so that construction of the bridge could proceed easily. The surrounding town had pretty views over the river. A sign near the bridge marks the site where the ashes of Joan of Arc were supposedly cast into the water. Many sculptures decorate the bridge.

ABBEY CHURCH OF SAINT-OUEN: The Abbey de Saint-Ouen was one of the most powerful Benedictine monasteries in Normandy. The building and grounds provided all the monks would have needed for their community. The influence of the Benedictine abbeys was enormous, in Rouen and elsewhere; they were responsible for the dissemination of culture radiating from the abbey functions of farm, inn, hospital, school, and library.

The abbey church remains in the garden of the former monastery. It was constructed between the 14th and 16th centuries; but the is builders remained faithful to the pure Gothic style. It is 450 ft long and more than twice as wide as it is high (35 ft.). Inside, the church does seem long, but it also seems higher, perhaps because it is so luminous. Rouen’s City Hall was installed in the former 18th c. dormitory of the monks; it remains there today.

SAINT MACLOU: Although work was begun on this church in 1434, the curved entrance was not added until the sixteenth century. The richness of decoration, the perforated gables, and the use of curvilinear and pointed tracery (like flickering flames) are characteristic features of the French "Flamboyant style." The church was seriously damaged on June 4, 1944, and was subsequently restored in part, but additional restoration kept the church closed when I was there.