01May – Rouen

Wednesday

At 3 AM this morning, our buoyant hotel left Le Havre for Rouen.

The ship maintained a healthy clip as it sped through the snaking path of the Seine towards our destination. Morning brought with it a thick fog that hid the shoreline for the first hours of daylight. Late in the morning, as the fog dissipated and the sun made an appearance, we docked.

Rouen is known for many things and has a long, illustrious history…the bulk of which I leave for someone else to relate. But, for us, there were our own highlights.

This is the place where Jeanne d’Arc — the Maid of Orleans — was wrongfully tried and executed by the British. Her presence in this city is everywhere. Yet, for all the fame and/or fortune that resulted from her martyrdom, the actual site of her execution is commemorated with a modest sign stuck in a small garden adjacent to the new church.

Rouen is also home to three fine examples of flamboyant Gothic church architecture. The best known of these is the Rouen Cathedral — if not for the architecture alone, than for the numerous paintings made by Claude Monet of the building’s facade.

The interior was as interesting as the facade. Much of the stained glass was exquisite although not necessarily period. During the war, rather than removing and storing them elsewhere, they attempted to protect the massive windows, in place, with boards and sandbags. But bombs have an insidious way of wreaking havoc despite our best efforts and many were shattered or destroyed.

There was a chapel dedicated to…who else…Jeanne d’Arc. Our guide “read” us the somewhat fable-ized story of her life as told in the chapel’s stained glass windows. Ironically, some of the chapel’s cost was covered by British concerns. (Out of guilt, you think?)

Lining the walls of the ambulatory are many statues of saints, royalty, biblical figures and others no longer identifiable that once graced the facade of the building. They had to be removed and replaced with replicas due to the ravages of time, weather & pollution. Such was the sorry fate of King David.

And for those who count themselves as fans of the brilliant film The Lion In Winter — and I do — Richard the Lionheart’s heart is (supposedly still) entombed here.

Finally, there is a beautifully executed staircase crawling up the North Transept’s wall to…somewhere.

At this point, our guided tour came to an end and we ventured forth to find the second example of flamboyant Gothic architecture: the Church of St. Maclou. (St. Maclou is the name-saint of the town of Saint-Malo.) A few blocks east and the ornate spire came into view. We reached the small square fronted by the church, but found the building to be inaccessible. We could hear organ music from within…but none of the doors were open. One interesting detail is the rounded west facade, barely discernible in this photo.

So we headed north to locate the third example of flamboyant Gothic, the abbey church of St. Ouen, and found that there was an exhibit featuring multiple artists’ alternative visions of Jeanne d’Arc. While certain side chapels in the building appeared to be Mass-ready, it was obvious that the main body of the church was no longer used for services. The north and south perimeter walls of the nave were lined with two-dimensional displays–photographs, paintings, sketches, etc.–while the center was replete with sculptural representations. There appeared to be a couple of electronic-media installations as well, but they were not powered on. However, even turned off, one was particularly arresting. Within a brick-encircled enclosure, there was a large-screen television laying in the ash remains from Jeanne d’Arc’s execution. Harsh but affecting.

Here are images of St. Ouen itself as well as a few Jeanne d’Arc‘s as conceptualized by various artists.

After the abundance of ecclesiastic architectural ecstasy, we had reached an “Où sont les toilettes?” moment. An Irish pub fronting the church proved to be the ideal stop: charming outdoor cafe seating with locals and their posturing dogs; e-cigarettes; cycles and scooters; and, of course, bière in the appropriate glass. Besides offering needed relief, it was the perfect setting for a quick call to the States.

As we finished and prepared to return to the ship, we became aware that most of the tables around us had filled up with patrons. It only shows that in France, as elsewhere, combine nice weather, a national worker’s holiday (May Day) and a bar’s Happy Hour (Heures Heureux?) and, voila, you get ze good times!

I believe I love Rouen.