The Church of St. Ouen.—To the north-east of the cathedral (see plan) stands the great abbey church of St. Ouen, in the wide open space of the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville—as great a contrast to the narrow streets that crowd up to the cathedral as could be imagined. It is for this reason that St. Ouen from without does not call up with any vividness the romance of a medieval church packed into the small space which was all that the encircling defensive walls could afford. But the church of St. Ouen is the most perfect and the most beautiful of the abbey churches of France, and there might be legitimate cause for grumbling if it were impossible to get a clear view of it. There is only space to tell the story of the building in the following list of dates:
St. Ouen.—Building Dates
400. Legendary date of the founding of the earliest church.
686. St. Ouen, Archbishop of Rouen, buried in church that received his name.
c. 841. Destroyed by Northmen, but rebuilt by Rollo.
1045. Old church demolished by Abbot Nicholas, and new one founded, which was dedicated in 1126.
1136. Destroyed by fire, and then rebuilt, the Empress Matilda and Richard Cœur de Lion aiding the work.
1248. Again destroyed by fire.
1318-1339. Fifth church commenced, and eastern portion built by Abbot Jean Roussel, otherwise called Marc d’Argent. Building carried on all through fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, interrupted at intervals during the Hundred Years’ War with England.
1422-1441. Alexandre de Berneval, architect, designed rose-window for south transept; built chapel of SS. Peter and Paul.