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Rouen Cathedral's Great West Front
depicting the gallery of Apostles and Archbishops.
Photo: 7 September 2016.
Source: Rouen
Author: Herbert Frank from Wien (Vienna).
(Wikimedia Commons)
English: Rouen Cathedral was the tallest building
in the World (1876-1880) with a height of 151 m (495 ft).
Français: La cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen.
Photo: 15 February 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: DXR.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
Rouen Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Primatiale Notre-Dame de l’Assomption de Rouen) is a Roman Catholic Church in Rouen, France.
It is the See of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy.[4] It is famous for its three Towers, each in a different style. The Cathedral, built and rebuilt over a period of more than eight hundred years, has features from Early-Gothic, to Late-Flamboyant, and Renaissance Architecture.[5][4] It also has a place in art history as the subject of a series of Impressionist paintings by Claude Monet.
Christianity was established in Rouen in about 260 A.D. by Saint Mellonius, who became the first Bishop. The first Church is believed to have been under, or close to, the present Cathedral. In 395 A.D., a large Basilica, with three Naves, was built at the same site.
In 755 A.D., Archbishop Rémy, the son of the Frankish statesman and military leader Charles Martel, established the first Chapter of the Cathedral and constructed several Courtyards and buildings around the Church, including a Palace for the Archbishop.[6]
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The Cathedral was enlarged by Saint Ouen in 650 A.D., and visited by Emperor Charlemagne in 769 A.D. However, beginning in 841A.D., a series of Viking raids seriously damaged the Cathedral complex.[7][8]
The Viking leader, Rollo, became the first Duke of the Duchy of Normandy and was Baptised in the Carolingian Cathedral in 915 A.D. and buried there in 932 A.D. His grandson, Richard I of Normandy, further enlarged it in 950 A.D.[9]
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In the 1020s, Archbishop Robert began to rebuild the Church in the Romanesque Style, beginning with a new Choir, Crypt and Ambulatory, and then a Transept. The Romanesque Cathedral was Consecrated by Archbishop Maurille on 1 October 1063, in the presence of William the Conqueror, not long before his Conquest of England.[9]
The project for a Cathedral in the new Gothic Style was first launched by the Archbishop of Rouen, Hugues of Amiens, who had attended the Consecration in 1144 of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, in Paris, the first Gothic structure, with its emphasis upon filling the Interior with light. In 1145, he began constructing a Tower, now called the Tower Saint-Roman, in the new Gothic Style.[9]
A complete reconstruction of the Cathedral was begun by his successor, Gautier the Magnificent. In 1185, he demolished the Romanesque Nave and began building the Western end of the Sanctuary. He had completed The West Front and first Traverses, when the work was interrupted by a major fire on Easter Eve in 1200, which destroyed a large part of the Town and seriously damaged the unfinished Church and its furnishings.
In 1280, the surrounding spaces and buildings were modified to permit the construction of Portals on the North and South Transepts. The next addition was a response to the growing role of The Virgin Mary in Church Doctrine; the small Axial Chapel at the East End of the Apse was replaced by a much larger Chapel Dedicated to her, begun in 1302. The West Front was also given new decoration between 1370 and 1450.[10]
Beginning in 1468, a highly ornamental new top, made of iron and covered with stone tiles, in the Late-Gothic Flamboyant Style, was added to the Tower of Saint-Romaine.[10][11]
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Cardinal-Archbishop Georges d'Amboise (1494-1510) had a major influence on the Church architecture. He incorporated into the Gothic design new Renaissance features, as he had done in his own residence, the Château de Gaillon.
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The Pope authorised Cardinal d’Amboise to grant dispensations to consume milk and butter during Lent, in exchange for contributions to the Tower. The new Tower soon took on the nickname of The Butter Tower, though the money collected paid only a portion of the cost. [10][12]
It is the See of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy.[4] It is famous for its three Towers, each in a different style. The Cathedral, built and rebuilt over a period of more than eight hundred years, has features from Early-Gothic, to Late-Flamboyant, and Renaissance Architecture.[5][4] It also has a place in art history as the subject of a series of Impressionist paintings by Claude Monet.
Christianity was established in Rouen in about 260 A.D. by Saint Mellonius, who became the first Bishop. The first Church is believed to have been under, or close to, the present Cathedral. In 395 A.D., a large Basilica, with three Naves, was built at the same site.
In 755 A.D., Archbishop Rémy, the son of the Frankish statesman and military leader Charles Martel, established the first Chapter of the Cathedral and constructed several Courtyards and buildings around the Church, including a Palace for the Archbishop.[6]
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Rouen Cathedral's Great Portals and Sculpture Galleries.
Photo: 7 September 2016.
Source: Rouen
Author: Herbert Frank from Wien (Vienna).
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Viking leader, Rollo, became the first Duke of the Duchy of Normandy and was Baptised in the Carolingian Cathedral in 915 A.D. and buried there in 932 A.D. His grandson, Richard I of Normandy, further enlarged it in 950 A.D.[9]
4.png)
Rouen Cathedral.
Photo: 11 December 2014.
Author: Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The project for a Cathedral in the new Gothic Style was first launched by the Archbishop of Rouen, Hugues of Amiens, who had attended the Consecration in 1144 of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, in Paris, the first Gothic structure, with its emphasis upon filling the Interior with light. In 1145, he began constructing a Tower, now called the Tower Saint-Roman, in the new Gothic Style.[9]
A complete reconstruction of the Cathedral was begun by his successor, Gautier the Magnificent. In 1185, he demolished the Romanesque Nave and began building the Western end of the Sanctuary. He had completed The West Front and first Traverses, when the work was interrupted by a major fire on Easter Eve in 1200, which destroyed a large part of the Town and seriously damaged the unfinished Church and its furnishings.
Gautier quickly repaired the damage and resumed the work, which was directed by his Master Mason, Jean d'Andeli. The Nave was sufficiently complete by 1204 for King Philip II of France to be received there to celebrate the annexation of Normandy to the Kingdom of France. By 1207, The High Altar was in place in The Choir.[9]
The first architectural addition to the new Church was a series of small Chapels between the Buttresses on the North and South sides of the Nave, requested by the City's prominent Religious Brotherhoods and Corporations.
The first architectural addition to the new Church was a series of small Chapels between the Buttresses on the North and South sides of the Nave, requested by the City's prominent Religious Brotherhoods and Corporations.
Beginning in 1468, a highly ornamental new top, made of iron and covered with stone tiles, in the Late-Gothic Flamboyant Style, was added to the Tower of Saint-Romaine.[10][11]
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Rouen Cathedral Nave.
Photo: 11 December 2014.
Author: Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Cardinal-Archbishop Georges d'Amboise (1494-1510) had a major influence on the Church architecture. He incorporated into the Gothic design new Renaissance features, as he had done in his own residence, the Château de Gaillon.
The first major project of the period was a new Tower, to match the old Saint-Romaine Tower, built almost three Centuries earlier. Work on the Tower had begun in 1488, under Master Builder Guillaume Pontifs, but, under Cardinal d'Amboise in 1496, the project was taken over by Jacques Le Roux, who had a more ambitious plan with Renaissance touches.
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The Tympanum of The Great West Portal
of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption de Rouen.
Photo: 7 September 2016.
Source: Rouen.
Author: Herbert Frank from Wien (Vienna).
(Wikimedia Commons)
As the new Tower was being built, The Great West Front of the Cathedral showed weaknesses and began to tilt. Cardinal d'Amboise ordered its complete reconstruction. This was carried out by Master Builder Rouilland Le Roux, nephew of Jacques Le Roux, in a lavishly ornate Flamboyant Style.
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Rouen Cathedral’s 15th-Century Staircase
to the Mediæval Library.
Photo: 25 February 2017.
Source: Cathedral
Author: Hernán Piñera from Marbella.
(Wikimedia Commons)
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