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.

   

 

Honfleur -- Parisien Get-Away Town

Honfleur is a quaint small town located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine River. Its harbor is connected to La Manche (English Channel) on the eastern part of the 25 mile coastline called the Côte Fleurie (Flowery Coast).  

Honfleur has warm summers, cool winters, rain year round, and just a few extremes of temperature. It is a perfect setting for strolling its medieval quays and streets, shopping at boutiques, eating steamed mussels, munching an apple tart, and drinking local cider.

Originally built for trade since its harbor was protected from the sea, Honfleur became a popular 19th century setting for Impressionist painters like Courbet, Monet, Boudin, and Jongkind (known as the Honfleur School) because of its ever-changing light, colors, and picturesque quays. Some art historians believe that impressionism originated in Honfleur. Click here for samples of paintings.

Honfleur is still popular today for artists but Parisiens also find it an appealing quick Sunday get-away or weekend jaunt. The 115-mile trek from Paris takes about 2 hours by car although several daily buses run to-and-from Honfleur taking up to 3.5 hours.

 

The streets of this medieval village are narrow and paved with stone. Formerly called the Chemin du Roi (King's Road), the main commercial street was renamed Grande Route Notre Dame (the Great Way of Our Lady) in the 14th century. Today, it conserves its dynamism with artists' studios, boutiques, and restaurants.

 

 

 

A couple teachers from my group (Anna, a Russian who lives in Calgary, and Simone who hails from Melbourne) and I stopped for lunch at this restaurant and boy, are we glad we did! We had the local fare: steamed mussels in wine and shallots sauce and a side salad and frites (French fries). Mussels are also available with a cream sauce à la Normandie. The mussels are served in black pots: one with the mussels (a lot of them) and one for the shells. We also tried a local sweet aperitif called pommeau, which is 2/3 apple juice and 1/3 calvados (apple brandy). It's called a "girly drink" because of its low alcohol content.

 Normandy is an apple-growing region and the orchards have yielded two highly-prized drinks: pommeau  and cider. Alcoholic cider is made from 40% calvados (apple brandy). Here is a "ciderie" on the street and a shop that sells gift bottles.

    

In 1670, two salt barns were constructed by order of Colbert, First Minister of State to Louis XIV. They contained 11,000 tons of salt used for preserving fish. The bulk of the salt came from Brouage, which is located on the edge of the marshes of the Marais-Poitevin near the west coast of France.

An important regional centre with its wealth based around the salt industry, Brouage was the first important salt-trading town in France, and also the leading port for the salt trade that employed thousands of people. The walls of these Honfleur barns were constructed with blocks of chalky limestone and wooden vaulting, which resembled a ship's hull.

 

 

 

 

These 16th and 17th century houses are half-timbered with slate-covered roofs. The house on the right was owned by Alexandre Dubours (1821-91), a French artist who painted ships, seascapes, and cityscapes. 

 

Sainte-Catherine Church

The largest wooden church in France, Sainte-Catherine Church, was built after the Hundred Years War in the second half of the 15th century. It was modeled after a market hall, and because it was built by shipbuilders, it uses naval construction techniques to make the ceiling, which resembles an upside-down ship's hull. The church has a bell tower separate from the principal building so that if lightening struck the tower, the people inside would not get hurt. Once lightening did strike the tower and a fire in the bell tower occurred. Afterward, a second nave was added in the 16th century. The roof is partially covered with chestnut shingles.

The famous "Axe masters" of the city's naval yards created this church without using any saws, just like their Norman ancestors and the Vikings before them. The beams used for the pillars of the nave and the side walls are of unequal length because there were no oak trees long enough to construct them uniformly. Some beams have a footing of stones varying in height, and some have no footing at all. 

 

 

The small side chapels of the church are adorned by statues of recent saints including Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (right), who is highly revered in France. There is also a painting depicting the Martyrdom of Saint Denis of the Nativity. St Denis is the patron saint of Paris.

 

 

 

 

History

The first written record of Honfleur is a 1027 reference by Richard I, Duke of Normandy. By the middle of the 12th century, the city had become a significant transit point for goods between Rouen and England.

During the Hundred Years War between England and France, Honfleur was captured and occupied by the English in 1357 and held until 1450. At the end of the war, the city became a major trading port that would last until the end of the 18th century. After 1608 as explorers developed territories in the New World, Honfleur became an Atlantic seaport with a thriving trade with Canada, the West Indies, the African coasts and the Azores. The city also became one of the five principal ports for the slave trade in France along with Nantes,  Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Le Havre. During this time, the rapid growth of the town saw the demolition of its fortifications built by Charles V (1364-80) on the orders of Louis XIV's First Minister of State Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1661-83) whose  administration had an enduring impact on the country's politics and economic mercantilism.

Honfleur fell out of favor after the French revolution (1789-99) and the First Empire (1804-15). It partially recovered during the 19th century by trading wood from northern Europe. However, silting at the entrance to the port subsequently hampered trade and the alternative development of the modern port at Le Havre ultimately closed trade. The Honfleur port still functions today for yachting, tourism, and small fishing enterprises.

The population of Honfleur has ranged between 7,400-10,000 since 1793. Today, it stands at 7,425 inhabitants. The stately Hotel de Ville (above) is the seat of a canton around Honfleur including several neighboring communes.

 

Samuel de Champlain and the New World

Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635), a French colonist, navigator, cartographer, draftsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler, made 21 trips across the Atlantic Ocean. He founded Quebec and New France on July 3, 1608. He is honored with a plaque in Honfleur where he launched his explorations. 

Champlain was the first European to describe the Great Lakes, and he published maps of his journeys and accounts of what he learned from the natives. He created the first accurate coastal map during his explorations, and founded various colonial settlements. He formed lasting relationships with the Montagnais and Innu and other tribes further west as he learned their languages. He wrote the first ethnographic observations of the Wendat Confederacy during the winter of 1615, which form the bulk of his book Voyages et Decouvertes faites en la Nouvelle France, depuis l’année 1615 published in 1619. (The Confederacy comprised four Iroquois-speaking bands of the Huron Nation--Rock, Bear, Cord, and Deer bands--that countered the Iroquois Confederacy.) In 1620, he returned to Quebec to become Governor of New France, in compliance with the orders of Louis XIII. He established trading companies that exported goods from Canada, mainly fur, and oversaw the growth of New France until his death in 1635. He is memorialized in many places in northeastern North America, most notably by Lake Champlain which lies on the border between New York and Vermont.

 

Pont de Normandie

The Pont de Normandie spans the Seine River and links Le Havre to Honfleur for over 7,031 feet. The upside-down y-shaped pylons are made of concrete 705 feet high and 2,808 ft between the two of them. The longest bridge in the world at the time of its opening on January 20, 1995, the Pont de Normandie is the last bridge over the Seine before the river empties into the ocean. Construction took place between 1989-95.

A cable-stayed road bridge with a semi-fan system was chosen because it was both cheaper and more resistant to high winds that can blow over 186 mph. Before it was constructed, the only bridge crossing the estuary was the Pont de Tancarville located ten miles away from Le Havre. To accommodate the exponential growth of traffic between the two cities, the bridge has four traffic lanes, two pedestrian lanes, and two bicycle lanes in a width of 77 feet.

Michael Virlogeux (1946-), a structural engineer, worked with two French architects, François Doyelle and Charles Lavigne, to create this impressive bridge. Virlogeux also built the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge over the Bosphorus in Istanbul, the Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon, and the Millau Viaduct in southern France.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honfleur is a much-cherished place, and people show their affection for it by putting a padlock on an anchor located on the quay near the parking lots.

St. Martin of Tours

In high school world history class I learned that the Moors (Muslims) had moved quickly from Arabia and across northern Africa conquering lands for their new religion, Islam, that was founded in 632. They crossed the Strait of Gibraltar into Europe and pressed on through Spain and France until Charles Martel stopped them in Tours in 732. It was a momentous battle and the beginning of the Moors' retreat into Andalusia in southern Spain. They stayed until 1492 when they were completely expelled from Europe by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. 

I have now been privileged to visit all these places, but it was in Tours that I learned that the real hero of this city was St. Martin (316/336-397) and that Charles Martel may have been victorious not in Tours but in nearby Poitiers. Many Muslims of northern Africa have since immigrated to France and all over Europe. My historical sense was far from shattered, however, because St. Martin really made a more positive, more memorable impact on the world.

The story of St. Martin is a simple story of Christian mercy at a time when the religion was still just getting its "sea legs". The third bishop of Tours (371-397) was born in [Szombathely, Hungary] where he converted to Christianity as a young man against his parents' wishes. He became a soldier in the Roman cavalry and was stationed in [Amiens, France]. Around 361 he became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers, a doctor and bishop of the Church who successfully defeated Arianiasm, a belief that was later declared heretical. St. Martin subsequently established the Benedictine monastery at Ligugé in the Department of Viennes, France, the oldest monastery known in Europe. Ten years later he was reluctantly consecrated Bishop of Tours.

St. Martin is best known in using his sword to cut his cloak in two in order to give half to a rag-clad beggar in the dead of winter, as shown by the statue on the right and in the photo at the top of this blog entry. His crypt (right) in Tours became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostella in northwestern Spain. Part of his brain is still on display as a relic in a semi-basement crypt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although the St. Martin cult waned over the centuries, it was revived upon the discovery of his tomb in 1860 and during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. As a consequence. he was seen as a patron saint of France during the French Third Republic (1870-1940). A new basilica was built over the old one and dedicated to his memory. Extensive re-construction of the interior was finished in 1902, but the basilica was not consecrated until 1925.

                                     

                              

 The basilica's architectural schema imitates the early Christian basilicas of Italy with a three-nave interior leading to semi-circular apses and monolithic columns in polished granite. The decoration also reflects Byzantine tradition with capitals, carved friezes, mosaics, gilded paintings, and marble marquetry (applying pieces of marble to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs, or pictures). 

 

 

 

 
 

 

As for Charles Martel (c.688-741), he was a Frankish political and military leader who ruled Francia from 718 until his death. He became known as "The Hammer" when he successfully claimed power as successor to his father, Pepin of Herstal, as the head of state in Francia. He worked to restore centralized government and conducted a series of military campaigns that re-established the Franks as masters of Gaul. 

In 732 (a date school children are taught to remember), he overcame the Umayyad (Muslim) invasion of Aquitaine at the Battle of Tours, which is also called the Battle of Poitiers because it took place somewhere between the two cities. The Umayyad army retreated after the battle, the Carolingians took control of western Europe for the next century, and Europe remained Christian. Martel also developed the Frankish system of feudalism. He divided Francia between his sons Carloman and Pepin, the latter of whom became king. Pepin's son, Charlemagne, extended the Frankish territories and became the first emperor in the West since the fall of Rome.

 

Vieux Tours -- Old Town  

On June 4, 800 AD, the wife of Emperor Charles the Great (Charlemagne), died. Tradition has it that the Emperor buried her in or near the old Basilica of St. Martin of Tours, although the actual tomb has never been officially certified. The Charlemagne Tower is a remnant of that ancient building.

The old basilica was replaced in 1014 with a Romanesque basilica over the site. Originally this building had three towers, two in front and the Cadran over the transept. The Charlemagne tower was restored in 1962. The Charlemagne Tower is Romanesque in the lower floors, and Gothic above while a spiral staircase provides access to the top. 

Tours is famous for its original medieval district called Vieux Tours. The bulk of it is concentrated around three squares: Place du Grand Marché (the market), Place Plumereau and Place de Chateauneuf (New Castle Square).

The Mansion of the Dukes of Touraine, dates back to the 14th century. It is located in the Place de Chateauneuf, which is next to the Charlemagne Tower. The palatial residence consists of two buildings with gables overlooking a courtyard and a Gothic-style octagonal tower in between.The name Chateauneuf refers to the historic town that evolved around the Abbey of St. Martin back in the 9th century. Ruins of the ancient fortifications dating from that period are still there. In 2017, Place de Châteauneuf was renovated and gentrified as a pedestrian zone with green spaces and park benches. Wood-framed, stone-gabled townhouses that date back to the 12th-15th centuries have also been carefully restored in the spirit of the time. 

    

   

 

 

 

Place Plumereau is known for its exuberant atmosphere due to the many cafes, bars, and restaurants there. Some of us had dinner together at a bistro there. Serge was our entertainer, and he pleased us with both French and American songs. His wife worked the controls and took photos of him. And, he encouraged us to sing with him. Below is a video of everyone singing "Comme d'Habitude" whose tune Americans know as "I Did It My Way." In truth, the French song came first and Frank Sinatra adopted it. Both the French and the Americans like their own versions though. Such music and gatherings create fond memories. Music--and a good meal with friends--truly nourishes the soul. And it put a face on the city of Tours for me in a new way--beyond St. Martin and Charles Martel.

 

Resource:  GPSMYCITY