St-Ouen

The Église St-Ouen is a beautiful example of High Gothic architecture located next to the imposing Hôtel de Ville in Rouen, Normandy. Once part of an abbey, the church is so grand that it might easily be mistaken for Rouen Cathedral.

The Benedictine Abbaye St-Ouen was founded in the 7th century, but the present church is mostly late Gothic. The nave of the abbey church dates from the 15th century, its choir from the 14th (with 18th-century railings), and its stained glass from the 14th to the 16th centuries.

It was to St. Ouen's cemetery that Joan of Arc was taken on May 23, 1431, and sentenced to be burned at the stake unless she recanted. She signed an abjuration, condemning herself to life imprisonment, but that sentence was later revoked.

The Church of St-Ouen is larger than Rouen Cathedral and has much less exterior decoration, so the vast Gothic proportions and purity of its lines make an immediate impact on the viewer.

Flanked by four turrets, the 115m (375-ft.) octagonal lantern tower of St. Ouen Church has been dubbed "the ducal crown of Normandy."

The stained glass windows, dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, are the most spectacular features of the spare interior. The 19th-century pipe organ is among the finest in France.