Rouen and Joan of Arc

        

                                                

When people think of the city of Rouen, they often think of Joan of Arc. This was the place where the English burned her at the stake after her military victories against them. She was 19 years old. 

Most people are familiar with "the Maid of Orleans” who heard the supernatural voices of Archangel Michael ordering her to deliver France from the English and have Charles VII crowned king. After she won the battle at Orleans (October 12, 1428 -- May 8, 1429), Joan participated in the Loire Campaign, where the French decisively defeated the English at the Battle of Patay. The French army then went to Reims to attend the coronation of Charles as King of France on July 17, 1429. Joan stood right beside him.  

 

In early 1430, Joan organized a company of volunteers to relieve Compiègne, which had been besieged by the Burgundians. Instead, she was captured by Burgundian troops on May 24 and sent to their English allies, and put on trial overseen by Bishop Pierre Cauchon on a charge of heresy. Joan was declared guilty and burned at the stake on May 30, 1431.

The Duke of Burgundy was responsible for Joan's arrest and death because he was allied with the English in order to ascend to the the French throne. At her trial Joan was declared to be a witch because she wore men's clothes. On the day of her demise, she wore a long white dress and made a big show of it. It took 20 minutes for her to be asphyxiated from the smoke and die. Her body was thrown into the river, and she never received a proper grave.

 

In 1456, Pope Callixtus III declared Joan a martyr, and Napoleon designated her as the national symbol of France in 1803. Rome beatified her in 1909 and canonized her in 1920. Joan of Arc is the patron saint of France, and her statue stands in most French churches. Over the centuries she has been used by various political groups to make their battles sacred. Her life has likewise inspired countless works of art, film, literature, and music. 

 

This garden indicates the spot where Joan was burned at the stake. It lies next to the Modern Church of Joan of Arc. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modern Church of Joan of Arc

             

 

The most amazing thing about this church are the stained glass windows. They come from a medieval church that was bombed during World War II. The windows had been removed and hidden in anticipation of the bombings and then installed in this modern church built in 1977. The vibrant colors illuminate the entire church from behind the small altar. Beautiful art, craftsmanship, and a proud history are thus preserved--only in a different form.

 

Town Clock

This elaborate clock was made in 1541, and it provides a lot of information besides the time. The globe on top indicates the quarters of the moon and the slot below its face indicates the day of the week in Greek mythological terms. For example, Sunday shows Apollo in his chariot with the sun in tow. Monday features the moon, etc.  Unlike today's clocks, this clock's hands were static and the dial rotated to indicate the time, which is the reason for the upside down V, VI, VII, and VIII at the bottom of the dial.

   

The belfry (left) towering over the clock was the mayor's residence. The clock was a part of the city's walls and is displayed on both sides of the arch.

 

The sculpted underside of the arch of the clock provides scenes of the Good Shepherd and his sheep. This theme makes sense since wool was one of Rouen's major trading products at that time.

Cathedral Notre Dame of the Assumption

There is nothing beyond the words of spectacular, inspiring, and beautiful that can describe the Cathedral Notre Dame of the Assumption in Rouen. This massive Gothic structure built over 800 years has two distinctive towers and a spire that soar over the city in a commanding way to announce a God of mercy in a world opening up after the Dark Ages. 

Standing next to the Cathedral evokes a feeling of smallness in the presence of such awesome majesty. And even though the Cathedral has had a perilous history, the people's commitment to it over the centuries has allowed this incredible edifice to withstand multiple changes and even devastation. 

The original church was on or near its present site in 260. In 395, a large basilica with three naves was built. St. Ouen enlarged the cathedral in 650, and Charlemagne visited it in 769. In 755, Archbishop Rémy constructed several courtyards and buildings around the church, including a palace for the archbishop. However, the Vikings began a series of raids beginning in 841 that greatly damaged the cathedral complex. After the Vikings were subdued, Richard I, the Duke of Normandy, enlarged the complex in 950, and in the 1020s, Archbishop Robert began rebuilding the church in the Romanesque style. 

In 1145, Archbiship Hugues of Amiens attended the consecration of the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris, the first Gothic structure which emphasized filling the interior with light. He decided he wanted to construct the Tower Saint-Roman in this new style in Rouen. His successor, Gautier the Magnificent, demolished the Romanesque nave in 1185 and began building the western end of the sanctuary. He had completed the west front when a major fire broke out on the night before Easter 1200. A large part of the town and the unfinished church and its furnishings were seriously damaged. Gautier quickly tended to the damage and completed the nave by 1204, just in time for King Philip II of France to be received there and celebrate the annexation of Normandy to the Kingdom of France. 

In 1302 a larger chapel was dedicated to the Virgin Mary as a response to her growing role in church doctrine. The west front was also given new decoration between 1370-1450. In 1468, a highly ornamental new top made of iron and covered with stone tiles was added to the tower of Saint-Romaine. Then in 1488, Cardinal-Archbishop Georges d'Amboise (1494-1510)  incorporated into the Gothic design new Renaissance features on both the Saint-Romaine tower and the Butter Tower in lavishly ornate Flamboyant style. Layers of lace-like stone tracery and hundreds of sculpted figures were added to the arch and niches of the portals. In 1514, the lead-covered wooden spire of the cathedral fell but was replaced shortly afterward. 

In the late 16th century the cathedral was again badly damaged during the French Wars of Religion, which included the furniture, tombs, stained-glass windows and statuary. The cathedral was again struck by lightning in 1625 and 1642, then ruined by a hurricane in 1683. During the French Revolution, the new government nationalized the cathedral and transformed it for a time into a "Temple of Reason" (a new secular belief system created to replace Christianity with the ideals of reason, virtue, and liberty). Some of the furniture and sculpture was sold, and chapel fences were melted down to make cannon. In 1822, lightning started a fire and destroyed the wood and lead Renaissance spire. The new spire was 495 feet tall and completed that same year. 

The 1905 secularization law, which separated church and state, required that the Cathedral became the property of the French government, although the Catholic Church was granted exclusive use. During World War II, the Cathedral--and the city of Rouen--suffered severe devastation. In spring 1944, the cathedral was hit by Allied bombs. Then in June 1944, the U.S. Army Air Force set fire to the Saint-Romaine Tower. The bells melted and left molten remains on the floor. After the war, a major restoration effort was begun and concluded in 1956. Finally, the statuary of the west front was completed in 2016 in what turned out to be a 50-year project. In 1999, during a terrible windstorm, a copper-clad 26-ton wooden turret broke free from the tower, fell partly into the church and damaged the choir. 

In 1985, excavations were carried out beneath the church and its surroundings. Archeologists uncovered vestiges of the earlier Paleo-christian buildings and foundations of the Carolingian cathedral.

    

The tympanum of the Portal of La Calende illustrate the life of Christ, while the contreforts on either side of the portals contain niches filled with angels and prophets. Around the portal are scenes from the Book of Genesis along with an array of fantastic animals. The tympanum also includes scenes of the Last Judgement. At the very top, over the rose window, is another gable filled with sculpture of the crowning of the Virgin Mary.

 

 

 

The west front of the Cathedral is the traditional entrance with three portals aligned with the three aisles of the nave. First built in the 12th century, it was redone in the 13th century, and again in the 14th century, each time with more lavish decoration.

The central portal was originally dedicated to St. Romaine but was rededicated to the Virgin Mary in the 14th century. The tympanum features the Tree of Jesse, which is the family tree of Christ. At the top is the Virgin Mary donning a halo of sun and stars. The arches above the tympanum are filled with sculptures of prophets, sibyls, fortune-tellers, and patriarchs. The portals on either side  illustrate various Biblical stories. There is portal pigment and gilding on the sculptures, which indicate that they originally brightly colored.

The Saint-Romaine Tower (left) was begun in 1145 as part of the original Gothic cathedral. The top of the tower, more decorative, was added in the 15th century. The ground level has no windows, and contains the Baptistry. The tall vaulted space above has four levels of bays, topped by a very ornate belfry, which contains a 9.5-ton Cathedral bell, named Joan of Arc, and 64 smaller bells of the carillon, the second-largest carillon in France.

The Butter Tower (right) was built between 1488 and 1506 as compensation for those who were tired of the Lenten practice of giving up butter and milk for 6 weeks. (The Rouen economy was heavily invested in butter, milk, and cheese back then and today as well.) The farmers appealed to the bishop who gave them dispensation to consume butter and milk during Lent--in exchange for financing the new tower.

Impressionist painter Claude Monet rented an apartment across from the Cathedral to produce more than 30 paintings between 1892-94. In 1895, he selected his 20 best to display at a Paris dealer's gallery. Here is a sample of his paintings, which like his haystacks, show the different effects of light on the Cathedral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

World War II was not kind to Rouen--70% of the city was damaged. After the war, the French received reparations from the Germans, funds that were used to rebuild the city.

 

 

 

 

Bullet holes cover the surface of the Palace of Justice. The Nazis occupied Rouen and the northern part of France 1940-44. The building underground revealed an old synagogue of the 1100's az the place for the money changers. During the Middle Ages, the Church forbade Christians from making interest on loans, a practice called usury. It fell to the Jews to provide such money exchanges. 

 

In this long shot from the Seine River just outside of the city, the spire still towers over the city--and remains under close watch for repairs.

Tidbits on Rouen

Rouen, the capital of Normandy, has half a million residents. It is also the second most important port on the Seine River, with Paris as the first.

The major products of Normandy are milk, butter, and cheese. Salted butter is sold in green wrappers while unsalted butter is in red wrappers.

 

 

Sunday streets in Rouen and throughout France are typically quiet since most businesses are closed, originally to observe the Lord's Day. Three years ago President Macron tried to encourage cities to open their stores and family shops, however, tradition is difficult to change even in a highly secularized country.

 

 

                                              

Seventy percent of Rouen was destroyed during World War II. As the city re-built itself, it decided to restore its medieval legacy. These half-timbered houses, for example, are not real but rather painted. They still look pretty fabulous and evoke an historical feel to the street. Even the green McDonald's on the left seems to fit in.