The city of Rouen has developed since the Roman times, on a meander of the Seine river. Ideally situated between Paris and the sea, it became the second richest city of the kingdom of France.
Main city of the county given to Rollo and his Normans in 911, the Dukes of Normandy let it prosper even more.
Normandy archbishopric‘s see, Rouen cathedral, crowned by the highest spire in France, is a work of art of gothic and flamboyant gothic architecture. Its exceptional dimensions are breathtaking, as well as the amazing façade covered by sculptures, like a lace of stone. Inside, the cathedral consists in a long narrow and high nave, ended by a choir full of light, some stained glasses from the 13th C. and some remarkable sculptures.
Monet was fascinated by the façade of the Rouen cathedral that he painted about 30 times, in different types of weather, and at different hours of the day.
One can find in the city a lot of other examples of the gothic, and flamboyant gothic architecture : the church St Ouen, church St Maclou, the Hall of Justice… These large and richly decorated monuments can be discovered by walking along cobbled streets that haven’t changed so much since middle ages and Renaissance times : entire streets of half-timbered houses, sometimes cantilevered.
Don’t miss the uncommon Aitre St Maclou, and ask your guide why it’s decorated by sculptures of bones and skulls… Go to see the Big Clock, which is like the emblem of Rouen and you will finally arrive on the market square, where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake by the English during the Hundred Years War. Visit the modern church St Joan of Arc, built here after the Second World War, as a shrine for the beautiful stained glasses of the destroyed church St Vincent.