France


Rouen


Notre Dame Cathedral



 
 

Summary Notre-Dame Cathedral of Rouen has been a centre of faith, art, and history for over 800 years. An original church on the site dated to the 4th century; with a major  Gothic reconstruction beginning in 1145.  Severely damaged by fire in 1200, it underwent a major Gothic rebuild, including the nave and choir.  It again suffered damage requiring extensive restorations during the Wars of Religion and during WWII.  From 1876 to 1880, due to its 151-meter cast-iron spire, it was the Tallest Building in the World, until it was surpassed by the Cologne Cathedral. Its Interior includes a majestic choir, high altar, more than 15 side chapels, and a stone ambulatory lined with statues and tombs, including the tomb containing the heart of King Richard the Lionheart.  It is also famous for its Booksellers’ Staircase, a 15th-century spiral staircase of carved stone, linking the cathedral to its historic library.

Rouen was to become a Christian location around 260 CE, and by the 4th century, a basilica stood on the site of today’s cathedral,  hosting Christian worship. Over time, this early church evolved in the Romanesque style, and in 650 it was enlarged by St. Ouen with major expansions in the 7th and 8th century. The cathedral was visited by Charlemagne in 769, although all the buildings perished during a Viking raid in the 9th century. The current cathedral began to take shape in the 11th century under Norman rule. The Romanesque foundations were laid around 1030, and the cathedral was consecrated in 1063 in the presence of William the Conqueror.  

Construction on the current building began in the 12th century in the Early Gothic style. In 1200, a fire swept through the Cathedral, destroying much of the earlier Romanesque structure, after which, the cathedral was rebuilt and expanded, making it the catalyst for a major architectural transformation and resulting in the stunning Gothic façade we see today. During the fire the cathedral suffered damaged to the nave, choir, and upper levels, prompting a complete redesign in the emerging Gothic style. Reconstruction began almost immediately, embracing pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses—hallmarks of Gothic architecture that allowed for greater height and light. 

 


This rebuilding phase laid the foundation for the cathedral’s Early Gothic core, which would evolve over the next three centuries into the building we see today. The fire, marked a turning point, transforming Rouen Cathedral from a Romanesque stronghold into one of the most ambitious Gothic projects in France. Its spire was originally wooden, but was replaced in 1876 with a cast-iron Neo-Gothic spire rebuilt in cast iron. Rising to 151 meters (495 feet) making it the tallest building in the world from 1876 to 1880 when it was surpassed by the Cologne Cathedral. Today the Cathedral of Rouen is still the tallest spire in France.  

To the left of the façade is the Saint-Romain Tower, a Romanesque-Gothic hybrid, the construction of which began in the 12th century.  To the right is the Butter Tower dating from the 15th–16th centuries.  This was funded by indulgences allowing butter consumption during Lent.

In the 16th century during the French Wars of Religion (1562 and 1598), Calvinists damaged parts of the structure. During World War II the bombings in 1944 destroyed the nave and damaged the spire, prompting urgent restoration efforts.
 
The external architecture is asymmetrical, and richly sculpted. It has been described as a vertical tapestry of stone, telling stories through its towers, portals, and spire. Each of its three towers reflects a different era and style. The Saint-Romain Tower (12th century) is Romanesque-Gothic and houses France’s largest carillon. 

A carillon incidentally is a grand musical instrument made up of 64 bells, each with its own name and tone, each precisely tuned and arranged in chromatic order. These bells are housed in the 15th–16th century, Butter Tower (Tour de Beurre), and are played using a keyboard of wooden batons and pedals, which the carillonneur strikes with their fists and feet.  Unlike chimes, which have fewer bells and limited musical range, a carillon can perform full melodies and harmonies. The bells are fixed in place and struck by internal clappers, not swung, which allows for expressive control and intricate compositions. The largest bell, a 10-ton bourdon, is named Jeanne d’Arc in honour of the saint and national heroine.

Unlike many Gothic cathedrals, Rouen’s western façade is intentionally unbalanced. This “human” quality reflects centuries of construction and stylistic change, from Early Gothic to Renaissance and even Neo-Gothic in the spire.

The façade, created between 1362 and 1421, is adorned with 70 sculpted figures. These include saints, apostles, and biblical scenes, in exquisite detail. Many of these were damaged during the French Revolution and restored in the 19th century.

The western façade has three grand portals, all intricately carved; the Central Portal (Portal of the Virgin): Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, features her Dormition and Assumption in the tympanum, surrounded by angels and prophets. The North Portal, Portail des Libraires is named for the medieval booksellers nearby, it depicts the Last Judgment with vivid Flamboyant Gothic detail.  The South Portal (Portail de la Calende) Illustrates the Passion of Christ.
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As you step through the grand portals you are immediately struck by the nave stretching before you with its slender columns that rise like a forest of stone into ribbed Gothic vaults overhead. 
 


Light filters through the stained glass, casting jewel-toned reflections across the stone floor, especially vivid in the morning or late afternoon.

Straight ahead, located at the eastern end of the choir, the high altar marks the most sacred space in the cathedral. It stands beneath the crossing tower, where the nave and transept intersect, drawing the eye upward toward the soaring vaults and clerestory windows. With the 18th-century Rococo statue of Christ and kneeling angels it is framed by the choir screen and backed by the apse’s radiant windows. The altar is flanked by gilded copper and cast-iron furnishings, added during the post–World War II restoration, blending modern craftsmanship with historical reverence. 

 

Behind the altar, the choir stalls and bishop’s throne form a semi-circular feature, carved in wood and stone with Gothic and Baroque details. 

The choir is the space between the transept and the apse, elevated slightly above the nave. The choir is framed by tall Gothic arcades, clerestory windows, and ribbed vaulting that draw the eye upward.

 

To the left and right, the side aisles lead toward chapels tucked into the transepts.  After damage during the 1944 bombings, the high altar area was substantially renewed in the 1950s. This included new furnishings and a reorganization of the sanctuary to reflect modern Catholic reforms while honouring its medieval roots.

Connecting the north transept of the cathedral to the former cathedral library, which was perched above the Portail des Libraires.  is a 15th-century spiral staircase of carved stone, known as the Booksellers’ Staircase (Escalier des Libraires)—a late Gothic architecture built in 1479 by master mason Guillaume Pontifs, this spiral staircase is a marvel of both engineering and ornamentation. The staircase is carved entirely from stone, with delicate Flamboyant Gothic tracery, pinnacles, and foliated crockets that make it look like it’s been spun from lace rather than quarried from rock. In the 18th century, an additional story was added to house the cathedral archives, and the staircase was extended upward—still in harmony with its original design.

 

Rouen Cathedral served as the coronation site for the Dukes of Normandy and is the final resting place for several Norman dukes, including that of Richard the Lionheart, King of England. 

 

Although it doesn’t contain his whole body. Only his embalmed heart which rests there, as a symbolic gesture of his deep ties to Normandy. After Richard’s death in 1199 from a crossbow wound during a siege in Châlus, his body was divided in a medieval tradition of royal burial: His entrails were buried at the site of his death in Châlus. His body was interred at Fontevraud Abbey beside his father, Henry II, and his heart was sent to Rouen, the capital of Normandy, where he had once been Duke.

The heart was embalmed and placed in a small lead box beneath an effigy in the cathedral. The inscription reads: “HIC IACET COR RICARDI REGIS ANGLORUM”—“Here lies the heart of Richard, King of the English”.  Today, the tomb can be seen in the ambulatory behind the high altar with a lion at his feet.

 

Around the ambulatory are seven chapels which were added during the 13th and 14th centuries as part of the cathedral’s Gothic expansion.  In addition to these, there are several more chapels located along the north and south aisles of the nave and transepts—bringing the total number of side chapels to approximately 17.  Such chapels include The Lady Chapel (Chapelle de la Vierge); The Jesus Maria Chapel; The Chapel of Saint Romain; The Chapel of the Sacred Heart and the Saint Peter and Saint Joseph Chapels.
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The statues around the ambulatory show saints, bishops, and biblical figures, each one carved in stone. Many of the statues depict key figures from Christian tradition; Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and the Evangelists. Rouen’s ecclesiastical heritage is honoured through effigies of past church leaders, some of whom are buried nearby. Most statues date from the 14th to 16th centuries, carved in limestone with Gothic and early Renaissance influences. Some of the statues were damaged during the Wars of Religion or the 1944 bombings, and have since been restored or replaced. Others retain traces of medieval polychromy, suggesting they were once painted in vivid colours.

 

Throughout the cathedral are numerous stained glass windows date from the 13th to the 16th centuries. They depict vivid scenes from the Bible, the lives of saints, and local legends like Saint Romain.  After the bombings in 1944, many windows were painstakingly restored or recreated, preserving their original themes and techniques.

 

Situated above the entrance is the Grand Organ. The organ case, partially destroyed during the war, was originally crafted in 1683 by Joseph Pilon and is now a protected Monument Historique. The current instrument was designed by Marcel Dupré and built by Jacquot-Lavergne, following WWII damage. Inaugurated in 1956, It features 4 manuals (keyboards) of 61 keys, a 32-note pedalboard, and 68 stops. 

 

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While the cathedral is more famous for its sculpture and stained glass, it also contains several paintings.  One of note is the 18th-century painting attributed to Louis Tocqué, which is located in one of the side chapels, and shows Queen Marie Leszczyńska (1703–1768) kneeling before the Virgin and Child, offering a personal vow. Marie Leszczyńska was the wife of King Louis XV. Her reign as queen consort lasted over 42 years, making her the longest-serving queen in French history.

 




Today, the Cathedral is still active as the seat of the Archbishop of Rouen.