Rouen's Notre Dame cathedral

Rouen – Some of the Churches

As stated in the Introduction article of Rouen, there are some 35 churches, abbeys, monasteries, and ruins scattered around Rouen and most of them are from the Middle Ages, so medieval. When you see the construction, you’ll be amazed they were constructed 4-500 years ago.

Here are some of the religious buildings to be seen around Rouen:

Saint Maclou Church

Saint-Maclou church
Saint-Maclou church

The Saint Maclou church, a roman catholic church, is one of the prime examples of the Flamboyant Gothic style.

Saint-Maclou church
Saint-Maclou church

Building began after 1435 on the grounds of a collapsed church. The church was finish in 1521.

Saint-Maclou church
Saint-Maclou church

As you can see from the photos, the church, like most buildings in Rouen, suffer from pollution.

Saint-Maclou church
Saint-Maclou church

Saint-Laurent Church and Le Secq des Tournelles museum

The Le Secq des Tournelles museum is installed in the no-longer-used Saint-Laurent church. The church was built in the 15th century.

Saint-Laurent Church and Le Secq des Tournelles museum
Saint-Laurent Church and Le Secq des Tournelles museum

In 1920 Henri Le Secq des Tournelles willed his collection of ironworks, which then became a museum inside the church.

Saint-Laurent Church and Le Secq des Tournelles museum
Saint-Laurent Church and Le Secq des Tournelles museum

The chapel portion of the church was actually built in the year 1024. It was rebuilt, but in 1791 was removed as church.

Saint-Laurent Church and Le Secq des Tournelles museum
Saint-Laurent Church and Le Secq des Tournelles museum

Click here to access the museum’s web site.

Saint Godard Church

20 meters away from the previous church/museum and 50 meters behind the Fine Arts museum, the Saint Godard church:

Saint Godard church in Rouen
Saint Godard church in Rouen

The majority of the church was built in the 15th and 16th century, but the initial church received the remains of Saint Godard in the year 525.

Saint Godard church in Rouen
Saint Godard church in Rouen

The church, over the years, acquired 3 naves.

Saint-Lo Priory (ruins)

The only thing remaining of the Saint-Lo priory is the front door. The first mentions of the priory was 913. Over time, it became a church, even a cathedral and then a prison and finally a school.

It is now a high-school.

Saint-Lo Priory ruins in Rouen
Saint-Lo Priory ruins in Rouen

Monastery of Saint-Ouen

The monastery of Saint-Ouen is now part of the City Hall of Rouen.

Monastery of Saint-Ouen of Rouen
Monastery of Saint-Ouen of Rouen

The monastery was built in 1318 and was the prime church for the Benedictine order.

Monastery of Saint-Ouen of Rouen
Monastery of Saint-Ouen of Rouen

The monastery was finally finished in the 15th century. It was named after Saint Ouen, the Archbishop of Rouen at the time.

Monastery of Saint-Ouen of Rouen
Monastery of Saint-Ouen of Rouen

The monastery was vacated at the French Revolution and the City Hall took over.

Monastery of Saint-Ouen of Rouen
Monastery of Saint-Ouen of Rouen

Saint Eloi Temple

The Saint Eloi temple is a protestant church that saw life as a roman catholic church in 1228. The church saw any changes and in 1791 was closed.

Saint Eloi Temple in Rouen
Saint Eloi Temple in Rouen

After that it became a factory, a shop and in 1803 it became a protestant church which it still is today.

Saint Eloi Temple in Rouen
Saint Eloi Temple in Rouen

Summary

This is but a small sample of the churches that are to be seen in Rouen. My own count shows 35, but I expect there are more. Up to you to discover them.

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