The Saint Ouen Abbey of Rouen, part II !!!

Posted in Europe, France

In my nostalgic saga of my family visits to wonderful places in my belle France, we found one sublime City, Take your time to visit Rouen, it is sublime to say the least and of course , a must to visit, The gorgeous city in the Seine-Maritime dept 76 of the region of Normandie. We have come here often many times, and glad to finally be back again, this time from the Morbihan breton ! . I have my wonderful memories with family visits and even if we are fewer today, the memories lingered forever, I like to tell you more of the Saint Ouen Abbey of Rouen, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.Rouen bas St Ouen entre HdV and belltower jun23

The Saint-Ouen Abbey Church is a complete example of Gothic architecture in Normandie. The Abbey Church of Saint-Ouen was one of the most powerful Benedictine monasteries in Normandy, founded in 750 under the term of Saint Peter with the first church at this site was a Merovingian basilica; Dadon (Saint Ouen) was buried there in 684 and then gave his name to the abbey.  In 1067, William the Conqueror  attests to a confirmation in favor of the abbey. The body of Saint Ouen and the other relics are transferred there in 1126, The western façade of the Abbey Church Saint Ouen  was built in Gothic style between 1845 and 1852, only the escutcheon is original , The tympan is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  The Abbey Church of Saint Ouen measures 134 meters long, with a height of 33 meters under vaults, and has a superb crowned central tower that does not have lantern of the flamboyant Gothic style. It measures 82 meters and a structural belfry supports the bells, of which one was melted in 1701. The nave, very bright thanks to its canopies on three levels of elevation; adjacent to the north of the nave, stands the only gallery still existing cloister; It has a beautiful, flamboyant network.

Rouen bas St Ouen nave to altar jun23

The Choir and the pentagonal bedside with its eleven Chapels, visible from the garden of the town hall, is a marvel of harmony and balance, all in the radiant Gothic style, with the exception of the northern part of the choir against which remains a Romanesque apsidal, Called the Clerics’ tower, a vestige of the former great abbey. The choir is closed by grates forged in 1740-1749; above the large arcades, under the triforium, are wall paintings from the 14C. The Altar is made of gilded brass.

The Salle des Marmosets overlaid at the gate, was once used as a charrier or maybe  the Abbey’s archive room. In the 19C, this room served as a library, as evidenced by the few traces of polychromies and nails. The room has an irregular vault that is based on the bases carved with sacred and secular scenes, The stained glass windows form a coherent ensemble, of great homogeneity, made between the 14C and 15C. All the windows are filled with stained glass.

Rouen bas St Ouen chapel St Francois receiving rules of order jun23

Rouen bas St Ouen chapel Virgin et child jun23

The Rosary in the south arm was decorated with a tree of Jesse, a recurring theme in this art. The north arm shows us the hierarchy. As for the façade, its rose is adorned with a modern and abstract window, in beautiful blue hues, which slices with the rest of the scenes. There is, however, one exception: a modern window by Max Ingrand representing the Crucifixion that adorns the axis. The windows of the radiant chapels there is the largest collection of stained glass windows from the 14C in France. They illustrate for example the life of the Saints honored in the abbey. The Abbey Church St Ouen has an organ Cavaillon-Coll of 1890; one of the most beautiful in France

Rouen bas St Ouen chapel marianne jun23

Rouen bas St Ouen chapel reading book jun23

Rouen bas St Ouen chapel St Ouen jun23

Rouen bas St Ouen chapel teaching child jun23

The old garden of the abbey is today called the Jardins de l’Hôtel de Ville or City/town Hall Garden (see post), a wonderful end to a fascinating visit indeed.

The Rouen tourist office on the Abbey St Ouen : https://en.visiterouen.com/offers/abbatiale-saint-ouen-rouen-en-3940870/

The city of Rouen on the Abbey St Ouen: https://rouen.fr/abbatiale-saint-ouen

There you go folks, a dandy wonderful sublime Saint Ouen Abbey Church one to be visit for sure.  Definitively, a place to visit in beautiful Rouen. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Saint Ouen Abbey of Rouen, part II !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

Unknown's avatar

Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.