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 Aître Saint Maclou of Rouen !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Aître Saint-Maclou is a former cemetery dating from the 16C, located 186 Rue Martainville. It is one of the few examples of such ossuary surviving in Europe, the Saint-Maclou cemetery dates back to the black plague of 1348. As a result of a new plague epidemic in the 16C, it becomes necessary to increase its capacity. The parish then decided to develop galleries surmounted by attics, designed to contain the bones.
The Aître (aster) Saint-Maclou is in the form of a large quadrilateral surrounded by three galleries, built from 1527 to 1533 The ossuary consists of four galleries framing a central square; it is 32 meters wide and 48 meters long. The first three galleries are made of half-timbered construction above a stone base, the shafts of the stone columns are carved with first Renaissance decorations combining biblical scenes, fantastic characters and floral motifs The sand pits and posts are decorated with macabre motifs, bones (skulls, shins, shoulder blades), liturgical instruments or even gravedigger’s tools, with pickaxes or coffins. The columns of the West and East galleries are decorated with couples representing a macabre dance. You can also see a mummified cat !
The construction of the ossuary begins in 1526 by the west gallery ,the north and east galleries are built in the following years, they are completed in 1529 and 1533 respectively, The southern gallery, on the other hand, was not completed until 1651, following a bequest from Father Robert Duchesne, intended to house a school for the poor boys of the parish, despite the still active use of the cemetery. The Saint-Michel chapel was built in 1658. The first schools date from 1661 for boys, from 1678 for girls. In 1705, the charity school, created in these places in 1659, was entrusted to the Brothers of the Christian Schools, an institute founded in Rouen by Saint John Baptist de La Salle. The school was established between the Chapel of the Departed and the Chapel of Saint-Michel. In 1705, the bones stored in the attic of the galleries were removed. From 1745 to 1749, the galleries were raised and the attics transformed into levels. In the 18C , 700 to 800 children were educated at the site. The ground floor of the West wing remains open and retains its role as a link between rue de Martainville and rue Géricault. The South wing is built for the accommodation of priests
The Parliament of Normandy ordered the removal of urban burial sites in 1779, following a royal ordinance. The Saint-Maclou cemetery was therefore closed in 1781, In 1911, a girls’ boarding school replaced the brothers’ school (closed in 1907). In 1927, the city of Rouen acquired the buildings, left in a state of semi-abandonment. It set up the Norman Art Museum there which occupied the former Saint-Laurent church, something done in 1938 after the buildings were restored. The museum had a brief existence there since the School of Fine Arts moved there after June 9, 1940, the fatal day of the fire in the Halle aux Toiles, to accommodate some 200 students in its premises; they moved out in the summer of 2014.
Today, the Aître Saint-Maclou host the Galerie des Arts du Feu which serve to discover the arts , the galerie d’art contemporain Telmah and a restaurant le Café Hamlet.
The official Aître Saint Maclou: https://www.aitresaintmaclou.fr/en/
The City of Rouen on the Aître Saint Maclou: https://rouen.fr/aitre-saint-maclou
The Rouen tourist office on the Aître Saint Maclou : https://en.visiterouen.com/offers/aitre-saint-maclou-rouen-en-3940869/
There you go folks, a dandy Aître Saint Maclou one to be visit for sure. This time we came and could not get in as they were filming a concert serie in the whole church for several days! However, we have seen it before and is one of the places to see in wonderful Rouen. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Aître Saint Maclou of Rouen !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 