Rouen: A Layered City
A LAYERED CITYOne of the most interesting stops on our recent Viking Cruise along the Seine River, was Rouen, an ancient city where the remains of bygone eras are layered beneath and alongside the contemporary structures, like this tower,Tour de Saint-André. The church was demolished in the nineteenth century to make room for a public square, but the tower was preserved as an example of gothic architecture.
CATHÉDRAL NOTRE DAME DE ROUEN
Our first major stop was to visit the majestic Cathédral Notre Dame de Rouen where we saw more examples of the layering of architectural structures through the ages. It sits on or near the site of the original cathedral built in 260, when Christianity was established in Rouen, and it was enlarged and visited by Charlemagne in 769.
When the Vikings invaded in 841, the cathedral was seriously damaged. In the 1020’s a new foundation was laid in the Romanesque style of the day, with a choir, crypt and a new trancept.
Reconstruction resumed in 1145 with the Saint Romain tower. Fire in 1200 caused damage requiring further reconstruction and additions.
In the fifteenth century, the West Front and Butter Tower were added.The Butter Tower is on the right and got its name for its funding by local donations in exchange for being allowed to eat butter during Lent. The asymmetrical Western façade reflects ongoing change and evolution over the centuries.
During the French Revolution, the cathedral was repurposed as the Temple of Reason.
Fire destroyed the wooden Renaissance spire in 1822 and was replaced with a cast-iron spire in 1884.
The cathedral sustained damage during WWII from aerial bombing in 1944.
INTERIORThe interior also reflects the transition from Romanesque to Gothic. Flying buttresses built in 1185 allowed for thinner walls and larger windows in the upper nave, bringing in light and creating a soaring effect.
The reconstruction of the nave in the Gothic style was completed in 1204 in time for King Phillip II of France to be received there to celebrate the annexation of Normandy to the Kingdom of France.
Prior to that time, the English kings had controlled the Duchy of Normandy as vassals of the king of France, causing a complex power struggle between the two nations.
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Claude Monet became fascinated with the cathedral and how different lighting conditions change the perception of the subject when painted at different times and in different seasons. He rented a room across from the cathedral and completed more than thirty paintings in 1892 and 1893.
One of the points that our guide stressed was the role Rouen played in the eventual unification of France as a nation.
Populated by the Gauls since at least the Bronze Age, Rouen was conquered by Rome in 56 BCE. When the Vikings invaded in the ninth century, King Charles of France granted their chieftain Rollo the city of Rouen and its environs in exchange for his protection of the area which later became Normandy. Rollo also agreed to convert to Christianity.
Rollo is buried in Notre Dame de Rouen where he was baptised in 915.
Rollo’s descendants became Dukes of Normandy, and the Norman dynasty which includes Rollo’s great-great-great grandson, Willliam the Conqueror (1028-1087), buried at Rouen, and Richard the Lionheart, whose heart is buried at Rouen Cathedral alongside his brother Henry.
When William the Conquereror won the Battle of Hastings in 1066, he became the first English king of Normandy, setting up a complex relationship between the duchy and the French king. Norman dukes ruled England while also serving as vassals to the French king.
During the Hundred Years War between England and France, Rouen was a major battlefield, as well as the place where Joan of Arc was tried and executed in 1431.
BATTLEFIELD FOR THE LIBERATION OF FRANCERouen sustained damage during WWII from aerial bombing in 1944, prior to the D-Day invasion, as the Allies sought to free France from German occupation under Adolf Hitler. The city was liberated by the Canadians August 30, 1944.
CITY OF TRADE AND COMMERCEAfter viewing Rouen’s seat of religious authority, we walked several blocks to the center of the city to see the secular seat of trade and commerce, which also contains the site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake as well as the church constructed for her as patron saint of France.
The city has long profited from its distinction as the burial place of Saint Jeanne d’Arc. There is even a local chocolate candy confection, Les Larmes de Jeanne d’Arc (Tears of Joan of Arc) sold in the square and throughout candy stores in France.
Rouen was a major power center with a robust system of trade and commerce. It served as the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy and capital of both the Anglo-Norman and Angevin dynasties. It flourished economically during the Middle Ages with a thriving textile industry and river trade. In 1150, Rouen was one of the first cities to receive its founding charter, which permitted self-government.The oldest hotel in France is located in Rouen.
On our walk from the cathedral to the center city, we turned a corner to see The Great Clock, perched on a Renaissance arch spanning the busy Rue de Gros-Horlage that bears its name.
Le Gros-Horloge is an astronomical clock whose mechanism dates back to 14th century. Through all those years, it has been the city’s official timekeeper, albeit powered by electricity since the 1920’s, despite the fact that the movement is still working efficiently.
The building below is the former Bureau des Finances. Dating back to the sixteenth century, it is the oldest example of Renaissance architecture in Rouen. In 1959, it was designated a historical monument and repurposed as the Office du Tourisme de Rouen.
As we completed our tour and returned to our ship, I marveled at how history has woven itself into the fabric of this city and region for centuries. In Winston Salem where I have lived for forty years, we take pride in being the home of a Moravian settlement that dates back to 1753. School children from all over the state visit Old Salem to see what life was like in those bygone days, to taste the sugar cakes and cookies baked in the wood burning stove at Winkler Bakery and purchase souvenir Moravian stars and beeswax candles. But, my goodness! 1753 is almost yesterday compared to the history that Rouen has experienced.
Travel does tend to put things in perspective, doesn’t it?
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