Rouen Cathedral history of construction. Notre Dame de Rouen

27.06.2023

Daria Nessel| Apr 18, 2019

Rouen Cathedral is one of the tallest cathedrals in the world, located in the capital of the hundred spiers, the city of Rouen. If you decide to travel around France, you should definitely check out this city.

The central tower rises 151 meters above the city. The building delights with its Gothic façade, magnificent interior decoration and centuries-old history.

So, let's take a closer look at one of the honorable French landmarks.

History of Rouen Cathedral

Before construction, there was a farmstead and two churches on this site, where secret baptisms took place. It will no longer be possible to see what these buildings looked like; in 841, the city was raided by Vikings. This harsh people had one bad habit: after conquering new territories or raids, they left only ashes. Therefore, the churches and the courtyard were completely erased from the face of the earth, leaving behind only mentions on paper.

Rumors of cruel massacres by the Vikings spread throughout France, so the king had to make Normandy one of the duchies, marrying his daughter to one of the most famous Vikings, Rollan the Pedestrian, but in return the king ordered him to be baptized. The newly created duke was baptized in a small basilica, taking the name Roberta.

Having founded his own dynasty, he and then his descendants began construction of the cathedral. To this day, the crypt remains from the original construction.

The oldest tower is called San Romain; its construction began in 1145. After standing for almost eight hundred years, it was completely destroyed by bombs during the devastating Second World War.

Rouen Cathedral seems to have been assembled in parts. Its southern tower, called Maslyanaya, was erected in 1485. It received this name because of the building material, namely yellow limestone, which was brought to the city from Wales. Why the builders decided to build the tower from a different stone remains a mystery.

The cathedral nave is a rectangular elongated room, bounded on one side by rows of columns, built in 1200, when the previous one was destroyed by fire.

The tallest spire in France was erected only in the 19th century, its height is 151 meters. After construction, for several years it was the tallest in the world, and then gave up its place of honor to the Cathedral in Cologne (Germany).

Interior of Rouen Cathedral

The cathedral is decorated with patterned stained glass windows, miraculously preserved from the 13th century. They became so famous because of their unusual azure color. Since the time of construction, stained glass from Normandy has been considered the best and highest quality in Europe. Stained glass windows tell about the life of a saint, his main stages of life and sacred deeds.

An interesting and truly sacred relic of Rouen Cathedral is a real sarcophagus in which the heart of the English king, the brave and valiant knight Richard, called the Lionheart, was placed. According to the chronicles, Richard I bequeathed to his subjects to bury him in different places: his body in Anjou, his brain in Poite, his heart in Rouen.

The heart was brought in a lead box that had not been opened for several centuries. During restoration in the post-war years, scientists nevertheless decided to open the box; it contained only a handful of dust. The box was not put back into the sarcophagus; it is kept in one of the underground chambers. Now the sarcophagus is empty.

If you go inside the cathedral, you will not see a lot of colors and colors. Multifaceted columns, massive arches under the ceiling, vaults in light colors, all this reflects restrained and strict Gothic notes. The length of the main gallery reaches 137 meters, which is, on average, the distance between two bus stops. Impressive, isn't it?!

In one of the halls there is a small but amazingly beautiful chapel of the Virgin Mary. Carved benches, patterned vaults, a little blue light through narrow stained glass windows and a small pedestal with the main icons of the cathedral, this is what you can see here.

In the side chapel there is a statue of Joan of Arc and an inscription written by the British. It was no coincidence that the statue was installed here, because in Rouen, on the Old Market Square, the commander of the French troops and the great girl were burned.

There are several burial grounds on the territory that belong to the heirs of the first Duke.

Rouen Cathedral in paintings

The French painter Claude Monet was pleasantly amazed and fascinated by the cathedral. In the 19th century, he created a whole cycle of paintings depicting him at different times of the year and day. Over two years of continuous creativity, more than fifty paintings were created. The canvases depict the structure from different sides, which gives completely unique picturesque views.

In 2010, thousands of Rouen residents and tourists came to the town hall square. Each person held a fragment of one of the most famous paintings from Claude Monet's cycle. The live painting was photographed and videotaped from a helicopter. This was proof that this event was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest depiction of a painting in fragments.

Rouen Cathedral is also depicted in a triptych (a work of art that consists of three canvases united by a single plot, theme or idea) by artist Roy Lichtenstein in 1969.

Light show

If you come to Rouen from July to September, you definitely won’t regret it. Don't miss the opportunity to stay in the city overnight to watch the light show of thousands of colorful lasers accompanied by music. When you see this amazing spectacle and breathtaking show, Monet's paintings will come to life in your imagination.

In the historical center of the capital of Normandy, Rouen, bearing the expressive title of the city of a hundred spiers, there is a magnificent building of Gothic architecture, the main attraction of the region. This is the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Rouen, more often called Rouen Cathedral, the residence of the Archbishop of Rouen and the tallest church in France. The cathedral is one of the country's most famous landmarks, thanks to its unique architecture, historical relics and, not least, a series of paintings by the great impressionist artist Claude Monet.

History of construction

The first Christian basilica on the site of the modern cathedral was built in the Roman period and dates back to the end of the 4th century. After the collapse of Charlemagne's empire in the 9th century, France was subjected to devastating raids by the Norman Vikings. The coastal part of Neustria, as northwestern France was then called, was especially vulnerable due to its geographical location. In 841, the Vikings captured Rouen and the basilica was burned. In conditions of constant Norman threat and chaos in the country, they did not restore the temple.

New construction, ironically, was started by those who burned the basilica - the Vikings. In 911, one of the Viking leaders, Rollo, received Normandy as a fief with the title of duke from King Charles the Simple, subject to conversion to Christianity. The church was restored, and in 1020 construction began on a new cathedral in the Romanesque style.

Construction took a very long time, since it was carried out mainly with donations from parishioners. This explains the eclecticism of the building's architecture. In the 12th century, the Gothic style came into fashion, and the cathedral was completed in accordance with new trends.

The first Gothic part of the building was the north tower of Saint-Romain, the construction of which was completed in 1145. During a fire in 1200, the nave of the temple collapsed, requiring radical reconstruction of the entire building. In 1202, large-scale work began on the foundations of the Romanesque Cathedral, and the new building was built in the Gothic style. From the Romanesque building, only the crypt has survived to this day.

During the mature (high) Gothic period, the transept of the cathedral was rebuilt (work began in 1280). The second southern tower was built much later, in 1485, when the late, “flaming” Gothic style dominated. This explains the significant stylistic difference between different parts of the temple. The limestone for the new tower was brought from Wales, so it differs in color from the rest of the cathedral with a distinct yellow tint. According to the most popular version, it was this circumstance that caused the tower to receive the name “Maslyany”.

There is another explanation. According to some sources, the construction of the tower was funded by money paid by wealthy citizens as a tax for the right to eat butter during Lent, which gave rise to this ironic nickname.

The central tower of the cathedral was built in 1514. In 1557, a spire made of wood and covered with tin was added to it. In 1822, the spire burned down from a lightning strike. It was decided to build a new one, but in full compliance with the canons of the 12th century. The project was approved in 1825, but its implementation dragged on for five decades. Finally, in 1876, the spire was ready. Its mass exceeded 1200 tons, and the height of the cathedral together with the spire was 151 m. This made Rouen Cathedral the tallest building in the world, which it remained until 1880, when Cologne Cathedral took first place.

The last large-scale work on the cathedral was carried out after the Second World War. During the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944, British and American pilots, including descendants of the Vikings who burned the first basilica, rained down bombs on Rouen. The cathedral suffered enormous damage. The nave and chapels were especially damaged, and only the outer walls remained of the Saint-Romain Tower. Despite serious damage, the cathedral was quickly restored thanks to significant financial assistance from the British, for whom, for historical reasons, Normandy has special significance.

In the post-war period, the cathedral did not suffer from serious disasters and periodically only needed cosmetic repairs. The exception was the hurricane of 1999, which demolished one of the towers surrounding the central spire.

Monument to Five Centuries

Rouen Cathedral is a unique architectural monument, on the example of which one can trace the evolution of the development of the Gothic style, from early Gothic (Saint-Romain Tower) to the late “flaming” (central and Butter towers). This is a majestic and at the same time elegant temple, dominating the entire city.

The size of the cathedral is impressive. Its length is 137 m, the width along the facade is 61.6 m, the ceiling height under the main tower is 51 m. The height of both façade towers was initially 75 meters, but after the bell tower was added over the Saint-Romain Tower, its height increased to 82 meters.

Acquaintance with the cathedral begins with the facade. This is a typically Gothic building, decorated with openwork carvings and numerous skyward arches. The magnificent portals decorated with statues and reliefs attract attention. The central portal is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the left one represents scenes from the lives of John the Evangelist and John the Baptist, the right one was erected in honor of Stephen the First Martyr. Of the three portals, only the portal of St. John the Evangelist retains its original appearance from the first years of the cathedral’s existence. The remaining two were heavily damaged during the religious wars of the 16th century and were radically rebuilt.

The two towers of the façade present an interesting contrast. Apart from the striking difference in color, they are created in different architectural styles. Saint-Romain is made in the strict, laconic style of early Gothic. The Butter Tower was created in accordance with the requirements of the “flaming” Gothic style and is distinguished by its pretentiousness, abundance of patterns and ornaments, greatly elongated arches and pediments.

The oldest part of the cathedral, the Romanesque crypt, is located under the Saint-Romain Tower. The plan of the current cathedral completely repeats its Romanesque predecessor, since it was built on its foundation. The central nave is separated from the side aisles by arched partitions. The corners of the transverse nave, transept, are decorated with external towers. This is a feature of typically Norman architecture. The vast altar space is surrounded by columns, which is a heritage of the Romanesque style, which developed on the basis of Roman traditions.

Rouen Cathedral has always been famous for its stained glass windows. Many of them have miraculously survived from the 13th century, when glass from Normandy was considered one of the best in Europe. Stained glass windows are distinguished by their wonderful azure color, thanks to which Norman glass gained recognition. Art critics call this shade “Chartres blue.” The scenes of the stained glass windows are dedicated to the life path and exploits of revered saints.

In general, the interior of the cathedral is not very colorful. Multifaceted columns, arches, and light vaults are almost undecorated and are characterized by classical Gothic restraint.

Cathedral attractions

The main relic of Rouen Cathedral is considered to be the sarcophagus of King Richard I the Lionheart of England, who was also Duke of Normandy. According to chronicles, the king bequeathed to bury his body in Anjou, his brain in Poitou, and his heart in Rouen. It is curious that Richard deprived England itself.

The lead box with Richard's heart was brought to Rouen and placed in a sarcophagus, where it lay for seven centuries. During the post-war restoration, scientists decided to open the box, in which they found nothing but a handful of dust. Now the box is in one of the underground vaults of the cathedral, and the sarcophagus is empty.

Richard's ancestors are buried in the cathedral - the first Duke of Normandy, Rollon, and his son, Duke William I Longsword. The sarcophagi of these three rulers of Normandy are decorated with magnificent figures of the buried themselves and attract many history buffs. The descendants of Rollon, the archbishops of Rouen from the Amboise family and other prominent personalities are also buried in the temple.

The main icons of the cathedral are displayed in the amazingly beautiful Chapel of the Virgin Mary. The blue light pouring through the narrow stained glass windows, patterned arches, carved panels and benches instill peace and tranquility.

In one of the chapels of the temple there is a statue of Joan of Arc. The statue was created by order of England, and this is no coincidence. This is a kind of apology to France - after all, it was in Rouen that the legendary daughter of France was burned at the stake by the British on May 30, 1431.

Rouen Cathedral is included in the list of national heritage monuments of France. Many tourists visiting France come to look at the magnificent temple. Eloquent evidence of the indelible impression the cathedral makes on the viewer is a series of wonderful paintings by the famous Claude Monet, whom the cathedral inspired to create 30 paintings. The building is captured in different seasons, different times of day and from different sides, thus the cycle creates a unique gallery of views of this symbol of the capital of Normandy.

When remembering Monet, one cannot help but mention the action that took place on June 6, 2010 on the square in front of the town hall. More than 1,000 local residents and tourists simultaneously raised enlarged fragments of one of Monet's paintings from the Rouen Cathedral series above their heads. The entire action was filmed from a helicopter, after which it was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest live image of a painting.

Rouen Cathedral is included in the list of national heritage of France. For a long time, this monumental building was the tallest temple in the world (after 1880, the palm passed to Cologne Cathedral). The height of the cathedral tower is 151 m.

Included in the French National Heritage List. Since 1979 it has been included in the UNESCO register. For a long time, this monumental building was the tallest temple in the world (after 1880, the palm passed to Cologne Cathedral). Tower height Notre-Dame Cathedral in Rouen (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen)– 151 m.

In photographs, Notre Dame is always captured in fragments - the enormity of the cathedral cannot be photographed in its entirety. Beautiful lacy spiers, like the rostra of huge stone ships, reach into the sky. Under the carved openwork of the tympanums, figures of saints stand in rows. A carved rose window blooms above the massive relief frame of the portal.

Claude Monet was fascinated by Rouen Cathedral. He painted this temple over two years; I made sketches in different lighting. To create without interference, Claude rented two apartments opposite the cathedral. From the windows of each of them the building opened from different angles. Monet organized the first exhibition of paintings dedicated to Notre-Dame de Rouen in 1894.

The temple in the center of Rouen existed long before the construction of the Gothic cathedral. The first basilica was built towards the end of the 4th century. This church was burned. The construction of the large cathedral began in 1020 (from that Romanesque part of the building, only the crypt has survived today). Further construction continued in the Gothic style.

The cathedral suffered a lot from the rampant elements and wars. A powerful hurricane damaged almost the entire building in the 18th century, and at the end of the 20th century the bell tower was destroyed by a strong storm. During wartime bombing, the supporting columns of the central nave were damaged, but the building survived and was later repaired.

The interior decoration of Rouen Cathedral is striking in its grandeur. The maximum height of the vault is 51 meters. Openwork windows flood the halls with diffused light. The cathedral does not have the multicolored colors typical of baroque churches. Powerful multifaceted columns, pointed semi-arches of galleries, light vaults on ribs and monochrome sculptures reflect the sublime severity of Gothic architecture. Against this restrained background, only the stained glass windows of the transept stand out with bright colors. These windows are already eight hundred years old. In the choir of the temple lies the “Lion’s” heart of the great king - Richard the First. In the side chapel there is a statue of Joan of Arc with a commemorative inscription from the British.

Claude Monet painted the Rouen Cathedral for more than two years. In total, he produced 47 sketches and 31 paintings depicting the cathedral in different lighting. Monet did not advertise his activities, but, on the contrary, carefully concealed them. He rented two apartments in houses on Cathedral Square, to which he came incognito. The artist looked at the cathedral from behind a curtain, so as not to be noticed from the street. Since the appearance of the cathedral depended on the lighting, several paintings stood on the easels at once, and at each specific moment the one that corresponded to the weather was painted. In 1894, when the work was completed, Monet organized a sales exhibition dedicated to the cathedral. Criticism, which is usually unfriendly towards impressionist artists, responded quite favorably this time, and Monet successfully sold several works from a series of three to five thousand francs. Just recently, one of these paintings was resold for $24 million.

Five paintings hang in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, all together on one wall. As soon as I saw the wall with images of the cathedral, I immediately knew how I would start reporting about Rouen. In this museum it is not forbidden to use a camera, but I did not know that and came there came without a camera. My colleague's wife took a point-and-shoot photo at my request the next day. Her name is Lera - this is how I signify my respect for her copyright. All five pictures did not fit into the frame, these are the three middle ones. My Photoshop .

Where are the rest of the series? Everywhere. One painting is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen itself, two in the National Gallery in Washington, another in Belgrade, and the rest are scattered into private collections. Frankly, I myself am a weak connoisseur of such works. When I looked at them in D'Orsay, I could not see 24 million dollars in these trembling strokes. But since they pay so much, it means that these millions are drawn somewhere.

A monument to the national heritage of France, the architectural dominant of Rouen and simply an incredibly majestic, elegant and solemn temple, Rouen Cathedral is one of the French must-see attractions.

The construction of the cathedral took no less than seven centuries, and under the Gothic façade lies the features of the ancient Romanesque style. Last but not least, the Rouen Cathedral is known for the paintings of the impressionist Claude Monet - the artist never tired of drawing inspiration from the play of light and shadow on its facade and created more than fifty canvases here.

Rouen Cathedral is a Gothic Catholic cathedral in the city of Rouen. Cathedral of the Archbishop of Rouen and Normandy. Classified as a National Heritage Site of France From 1876 to 1880, it was the tallest building in the world (151 meters), losing this title to Cologne Cathedral.

The existence of a Rouen bishop was first mentioned in 314.

It is known for certain that in this place, but already in the 9th century AD, there was an episcopal courtyard and two small churches with a cathedral in honor of the Mother of God, and a baptistery, where the sacrament of baptism was performed.

But, unfortunately, humanity will never be able to see what they looked like at that time.

In 841, the city of Rouen was once again raided by the Vikings, who, as is known from history, had, to put it mildly, a “bad habit” of leaving behind only ashes.

The bishop's courtyard, along with two churches, was destroyed. At that time, the political situation in the country was extremely unstable, and it was for this reason that the churches were not restored for a long time.

It was so destined by fate, but subsequently, it was the Vikings who made a lot of effort to rebuild the temple. The fame of the brutal reprisals of the Vikings against everything that came their way intimidated all of Europe so much that the king of France, who reigned in 911, made concessions to the conquerors and agreed to make Normandy a Duchy.

1822

And besides this, he married his daughter to the Viking leader Rollan and, in turn, put forward a condition for the newlywed: the newly-minted duke certainly had to be baptized. Rolland did not contradict and was baptized in a simple basilica that stood on the site of the current cathedral under the name Robert

Having thus founded the dynasty of the Norman dukes, Rolland in 1020 (and subsequently his heirs) began building a new cathedral in the Romanesque style.

From those times to the present day, only one crypt has survived. All other parts of the temple were built using the Gothic style of architecture.

Northern nave of the cathedral.

Archaeological excavations show that the episcopal complex of Rouen consisted of two churches (dedicated to Our Lady - the cathedral - and St. Stephen), and probably a baptistery.

Chapel of the Virgin from the Archbishop's courtyard.

Surprisingly, this tallest cathedral in France, classified as a historical heritage monument in France, has experienced various disasters more than once during its centuries-old history.

Cloister of the Canons of Rouen Cathedral

Here are just a few of them: one of the naves, built in a romantic style, was destroyed by fire, in the 18th century the cathedral survived a severe hurricane, in 1944 six exploding bombs were dropped on it, and in December 1999 again in As a result of a severe storm, the bell was damaged. But, nevertheless, despite all the vicissitudes, the cathedral has survived quite well to this day.

Of course, this is due to the merit of those craftsmen and talented restorers who, in spite of everything, again and again took on the revival of the shrine.

The oldest part of the Gothic cathedral is the north tower (Saint-Romain Tower), built in 1145.

It completely burned out on June 1, 1944 after the bombing; only the walls remained from the original building.The north tower of Saint-Romain (1202), 75 m high, is topped with a bell tower in the "flaming style", while the Butter Tower, Tour de Beur (1487), 76 m high, is entirely built in the "flaming style" "

The south tower (Oil Tower) was built in 1485.

The nave was built in 1200 when the existing Romanesque nave collapsed due to fire.

You should also definitely pay attention to the three magnificent entrances to the cathedral: the first is dedicated to John the Baptist (above him there is a bas-relief depicting the baptism of Christ), the second, central, to the Mother of God, the third to the martyr Saint Etienne, who died by stoning

.Tower of St. Romain

Low cell of the tower of St. Romain with the baptistery (twentieth century) and the statue of the Virgin and Child (17th-18th centuries) from the Beaucaire hospital.

The most ancient elements of the cathedral can be seen by going down to the baptistery, located under the Saint-Romain Tower. The stained glass windows of Rouen Cathedral are almost in no way inferior to the famous “glass Bible” of Chartres, and the shade of blue here is no worse than Chartres

Reverse view of the library portal of the Rouen Cathedral.

Tympanum of the central portal representing the tree of Jesse

The only surviving original portal is the northern one, the portal of St. John the Evangelist, representing scenes from the life of St. John the Evangelist and John the Baptist. It was restored several times after 1769.

The other two portals were heavily damaged in the 16th century.

Portal of Saint-Etienne.tympanum

The Archbishop's Palace, which forms a single complex with the cathedral, is a contemporary of the Gothic cathedral.

Portal Saint-Jean.Tympanum

The vast altar space of the cathedral is surrounded by a colonnade, which was already a somewhat archaic feature for that time.

The transept, whose construction began in 1280, is interesting from a constructive point of view. At its outer corners there are four towers in the local Norman style, richly decorated with rosettes. The facades between the towers, with their shining lace decoration, are typical of the mature, so-called. radiant Gothic after 1275.

Central facade

In the interior, the main nave is separated from the two side naves by a curious arched barrier, called the false triforium, located above the main arcades.

Transverse nave

Central nave

All the naves, the main one and four side naves, are clearly visible on the western facade, built mainly during the 13th century, and in 1509-1530 decorated with wonderful Gothic stone lace.

The height of the ceiling in the center of the cathedral, above which the spire is erected (the round dark hole in the ceiling in the photo), is 51 meters. This is a twenty-story building, just a minute. The height of the flow in the gallery is 28 meters.

The length of the passage is 137 meters - a small tram stop. Initially, balconies were planned under the roof, but then they were replaced with simply openwork windows flooding the cathedral with light. What remained from the idea of balconies were semicircular arches under the windows filled with stone.

Like any medieval city, Rouen had its own specialization, and even more than one. I'll probably list everything at once. Since the 13th century, Norman stained glass has been considered perhaps the best in Europe.

The wool business brought in even more income. Rouen housed weaving factories and woolen warehouses. Finally, already in those years the trade in antiques flourished. What’s wrong, things from the 10th century could well have been considered antiques in the 13th century.

A third of the population of Rouen - 6,000 people - were Jews, and where there were Jews, there was money, diamond cutting and antiques. Subsequently, all the Jews were expelled from the city, killing quite a few of them, but the craft lingered, and to this day the Rouen antique shops are rated very highly.

Stained glass technology underwent radical changes in the 14th century. Glass has become more durable. Almost all the stained glass in Rouen dates back to the 14th century, but this particular cathedral has stained glass from 800 years ago. It is curious that some of them are signed by the artist who created them. 800 years ago, colored glass casting was still considered a high art of individual production.

The 13th century stained glass window tells the story of St. Julian the Hospitaller.

Based on this stained glass window, Flaubert wrote one of his three fairy tales. The legend of Julian itself is lousy and full of inconsistencies. Allegedly, at birth, evil witches conjured on him that he would kill his parents. Initially, Julian’s dad wanted to kill him right away, so as not to bring his child to sin, but his mother objected and locked him in the house. At the age of 12, he left home and married (!) a widow (?).

Despite the difference in age, he and his wife lived well, had children, and one day the old people decided to come and visit their grandchildren. Julian was in the field, and his wife put their ancestors to rest after a long journey in her and Julian’s bed. A well-wisher was immediately found who informed Julian that while he was waving a sickle in the field, his wife was not wasting his time. Julian hurried home, where, seeing the couple in his bed, he hacked them both to death, without knowing who was there.

Thus the witches' prediction came true. Realizing his mistake, Julian left home to atone for his sin, somehow became rich, and used all the money to build hospitals for the poor. That’s why he remained Hospitaller in people’s memory, and over time he became a saint. Which does not mean that you can kill your parents with impunity, even if you really want to. Apparently, Flaubert's tale has the same unexpected moral. Do not read.

Transept

Inside the temple is the tomb of the first Norman Duke, Rolland the Pedestrian. There is also a stone sarcophagus decorated with a sculpture of King Richard I, better known among the people as Richard the Lionheart, in which the very heart of the brave king, who was also the Duke of Normandy in 1189-1199, is buried.

Over the long history of the cathedral, the spire was destroyed and restored several times. The wooden spire, covered with tin, was installed in 1557, but, damaged by lightning, burned down in 1822.

A year later, it was proposed to construct a metal frame and spire in the Gothic style of the 12th century. The project was approved in 1825 and completed in 1884 with four turrets built by a local iron master.

The cathedral lost one of these towers just a few years ago - during a strong hurricane that swept through northern France.

The cathedral suffered from a hurricane in the 18th century, and then received severe damage during the Allied bombing of Rouen in 1944 during the Second World War: on April 19, the nave and chapels were heavily damaged (hit by seven bombs, of which six exploded), and after the bombing on May 31, it burned down north tower. During a strong storm in December 1999, the bell tower was damaged.

Rollon's tomb in Rouen Cathedral

Dimensions
Length: 137 m, Façade width: 61.60 m, Nave length: 60 m, Nave width: 11.30 m. Nave height: 28 m. Lamp hanging height: 51 m.
Length of the choir: 34.30 m. Width of the choir: 12.70 m. Height of the Saint-Romain Tower: 82 m. Height of the Butter Tower: 75 m. Height of the spire: 151 m.

Stairs to the library

Before visiting the cathedral, it is worth refreshing your memory of Monet’s famous landscape “Rouen Cathedral at Noon,” as well as the other thirty paintings by the master, which immortalized the temple in all the splendor of natural light.

Claude Monet. Rouen Cathedral, portal and tower of Saint-Romain, in the light of the sun. Harmony of blue and gold. Orsay Museum, Paris

In the 1890s, Claude Monet created a series of paintings showing the cathedral in different lighting, different climates and at different times of day. 50 paintings were created. They are painted from three different points, giving three different views of the cathedral. Some of the canvases were completed in the artist's studio in Giverny. Claude Monet painted Rouen Cathedral for more than two years.

Overcast

In total, he produced 47 sketches and 31 paintings depicting the cathedral in different lighting. Monet did not advertise his activities, but, on the contrary, carefully concealed them. He rented two apartments in houses on Cathedral Square, to which he came incognito. The artist looked at the cathedral from behind a curtain, so as not to be noticed from the street.

Since the appearance of the cathedral depended on the lighting, several paintings stood on the easels at once, and at each specific moment the one that corresponded to the weather was painted. In 1894, when the work was completed, Monet organized a sales exhibition dedicated to the cathedral. Criticism, which is usually unfriendly towards impressionist artists, responded quite favorably this time, and Monet successfully sold several works from a series of three to five thousand francs. Just recently, one of these paintings was resold for $24 million.

In 1969, Roy Lichtenstein created the triptych "Rouen Cathedral".

Rouen Cathedral is over 800 years old. By the way, it’s a pity that the frame is not stereometric. The central tower with a spire is 70 meters deep from the facade. It is placed exactly in the spatial center of the cathedral, which is very unusual. Two towers overlook the square in front of the façade of the cathedral: the left one, built in the 12th-15th centuries (300 years to build a tower! This is an example of long-term construction) and the right one, dated 1506, which was built in just 20 years.

On June 6, 2010, over a thousand people occupied the entire square in front of the city hall in Rouen (600 m²). Each of them held in their hands an enlarged fragment of Claude Monet’s painting “Rouen Cathedral”. The "Living Picture" was photographed and filmed from a helicopter to provide evidence for the Guinness Book of World Records.