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Origin and history

The abbey of Saint-Ouen de Rouen, founded around 750 as Benedictine abbey under the name of Saint Peter, succeeds a Merovingian basilica where Saint Ouen (Dadon) was buried in 684. Ravaged by the Vikings in 841, it was restored in 918 by Rollon, then rebuilt in Romanesque style from 1062 under Abbé Nicolas de Normandie. Romanesque abbey, dedicated in 1126, houses the relics of Saint Ouen and other saints, but suffered a fire in 1248. His choir collapsed at the beginning of the 14th century, marking the beginning of its reconstruction in Gothic style from 1318, under the direction of architect Alexandre de Bernval.

The Hundred Years' War slowed down the work, but the nave was completed in 1537 and the western facade, of neo-Gothic style, was completed in the 19th century (1845-1852) by Henri Grégoire. The abbey, classified as a historical monument in 1840, became a refuge during the troubles, even welcoming the bishop of Avranches in 1358. In the Revolution, the monks were dispersed, and the town hall moved into the old dorm in 1800. The Abbatial house, demolished in 1816, had housed Henry IV and Louis XIV.

The interior of the abbey, 134 meters long, is famous for its stained glass (1,523 m2), 15th century roses (including a unique Jesse tree), and its Cavaillé-Coll organ of 1890, one of the largest in France. The 82-metre high central tower and the Marmousets portal, decorated with medallions on the life of Saint Ouen, illustrate the flamboyant Gothic. After the 1944 bombings, the abbey served as a pro-cathedral until 1956. Today, it hosts concerts, exhibitions and religious ceremonies, while preserving Romanesque remains such as the tower at the Clercs.

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