Abbey of Jumièges
The Big Clock - Overview
Aa 220207 Rouen Office Of Tourism©a Aubry Metropole Rouen Normandie 0193Abbey of Jumièges
Banner Image A Heritage ExperienceHistory
Welcome to Rotomagus!
The ancient Gallo-Roman city of Rouen was founded by the Romans on the right bank of the river. Rouen was then the second most important city in Gaul. It then became the capital of the Duchy of Normandy in 843, ruled by the Viking chieftain Rollon. In the Medieval Ages, William the Conqueror and then Philip Augustus turned it into a powerful commercial city. The donjon, the only remnant of the castle, bears witness to this. In the Normandy countryside, a sacred road leads from the Abbey of Saint-Martin de Boscherville to that of Jumièges, gems of Romanesque art.
Abbey of JumiègesThe Big Clock - OverviewAa 220207 Rouen Office Of Tourism©a Aubry Metropole Rouen Normandie 0193
The Big Clock - RouenTo the clocks of time
We can say of Rouen that it is a complete city! From the Vikings to the Reconstruction, every epoch and every style is represented. Hold on to thetime clocks, thejourney is sensational as we feel, even today, all those historic vibrations. From the Gros Horloge to the Parlement de Normandie to the dazzling Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen, we’ll take you on a ride!”
Take a journey through the city and its eras, through the architecture and history of Rouen’s historical figures! The Vikings with Rollon, the Middle Ages with half-timbered houses and the trial of Jeanne d’Arc, the cathedral and buildings imbued with the Gothic style, … This plurality makes for a rich city with unusual experiences!
Intimate and flamboyant
It is one of the world’s best-known Gothic cathedrals thanks to the series of paintings that Claude Monet, the master of the Impressionists, dedicated to it. At the heart of the historic city, Rouen Cathedral alone sums up the evolution of Gothic art, since its construction began in the 12th century, on the foundations of a 4th-century basilica and an 11th-century Romanesque ensemble. Destroyed during the Viking invasions in 841 and then partially, in 1944, by Allied bombing, it is a living building in perpetual evolution.
It is also considered “the most human of cathedrals”due to its asymmetrical western facade, a true testament to 700 years of architectural evolution, the fruit of the labor of several generations of craftsmen. Our guides offer amazing tours of the Cathedral, discover its grandeur, listen to its exceptional carillon and its 64 bells or immerse yourself in a subdued atmosphere with a candlelit tour.
Cathedral ND Rouen facade lace stone
Joan of Arc stained glass windows Notre-Dame de Rouen CathedralIn the footsteps of Joan of Arc
In Rouen, her memory permeates the walls. A key figure in French history, Jeanne has become a mythe of international interest. Feel the pulse of La Pucelle’s final hours in the Normandy capital. Don’t miss the Historial Jeanne d’Arc, an immersive tour that traces the destiny of this young shepherdess who became the greatest heroine in French history. It is the largest site ever dedicated to the memory of La Pucelle.
A audio tour retraces the crucial stages of her time in Rouen, from the historic center of Rouen, to the abbatiale Saint-Ouen, then the Place du Vieux Marché and finally the Historial Jeanne d’Arc, which recounts the fate of this young shepherdess who became the most great heroine of French History.
Spirituality and landscape
From Rouen to Mont-Saint-Michel, set off on a discovery of these majestic buildings that line the route des Abbayes and recall the wealth of Normandy in the Middle Ages: the Abbatiale Saint-Ouen de Rouen, the Abbaye Saint-Georges de Boscherville, the Abbaye de Jumièges, the Abbaye de Saint-Wandrille, the Abbaye de Montivilliers or the Abaye Notre-Dame du Bec-Hellouin.
Rouen and its Metropole offer exceptional panoramas! Between nature and architecture, discover the wonderful and surprising landscapes of the Parc régional des Boucles de la Seine normande.
The abbey of Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville
