Honestly, I thought it was abandoned.
With so many other churches in Rouen, a few left for dead would be easy to understand. But I was wrong. It just looked dead. The Abbey of Saint-Ouen, a Gothic Princess, however, is about to shine once again.
With restoration begun this year, Saint-Ouen is due to be completed sometime in 2024. And given the state of its dingy exterior, that may prove to be an ambitious target. Darkened by thick, expansive black patches of soot and modern grime, it doesn't look so much dilapidated as it does dejected.
Initially constructed by Benedictine monks in 1126 as the abbey church, Saint-Ouen took several hundred years to be complete. An influential religious power in Normandy, the Benedictines lorded over the area until the French Revolution. One of the Abbots reportedly supplied the William the Conqueror and his Normans with ships and soldiers during the conquest of England. The monastery, however, was confiscated by the new Republic of France following the bloody revolution in the 1780s.
Now, one of a dozen or so spires is wrapped in scaffolding as renovation unfolds. Below, the side yard is unkempt and overgrown, adding to the sense of neglect. Here and there, flimsy barriers stand guard against nothing. Overall, the scene does nothing to build hope that renewal will be quick.
And yet, as we rounded to the back of the Radiant Gothic-style monastery, an entirely different scene unfolded. A massive lawn stretched out from the rear of the Abbey. People laid out in the golden sunshine, reading, eating, drinking. Living.
Simple benches lined a small copse of trees facing the former convent. An artificial stream of unknown age meandered through the wooded area adding to the calming influence of the great, green lawn.
I sat on the bench and snapped photos of the backside of the church. Somehow, despite being further away, the Abbey seemed larger, grander, and less frail. And that's when I realized the numerous stained glass windows adorning this flamboyant church—over 80 in all and meticulously maintained.
In the center of the cathedral, a lantern-style tower rises over all else. A Disneyesque accouterment to this already outlandishly grand building. Spires, studded and pointed, punctuated the air from nearly every position atop the Abbey.
Although it was closed that Monday, my research indicates a grand interior within. Stone floors bathed in bright light from countless windows set in naves under high vaulted ceilings. 14th century stained glass cast a kaleidoscope of colors against a white stone interior; a dazzling sight!
The Abbey of Saint-Ouen, a Gothic Princess, is set to be reborn. Weathering war, modern pollution, and millennia, it waits for its much-needed refurbishment. I'm compelled to return to Rouen after the Abbey's restoration. Not only to see the exterior repair completed but to witness the brilliant, shimmering chambers within.
Cheers!
https://rouen.fr/abbatiale-saint-ouen
*All photos are mine unless credited otherwise.