Rouen, Rue du Gros–Horloge

Rouen’s Rue du Gros–Horloge (Street of the Large Clock), a bustling pedestrian street, connects the Place du Vieux–Marché (with its Ste–Jeanne d’Arc Church) and the Place de la Cathédrale (with the Notre Dame Cathedral) a few blocks away. The street passes through an arch below the Gros–Horloge, or Large Clock. This old single–hand clock tells time, gives the phases of the moon, and has several dials, signs, and other displays. A spiral staircase to the top of the nearby belfry permits a view of the lovely city, its port, and the surrounding countryside.

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Rouen is one of the more beautiful examples of French Gothic architecture. The renowned impressionist Claude Monet painted many pictures of this cathedral. He was famous for painting a series of pictures of a specific scene and “The Cathedrals,” are paintings of the church in Rouen. This series is 17 studies of the facade of Rouen Cathedral, each painted at a different time of the day, as it altered from dawn to dusk. These works show the gray stones, worn by time and blackened by centuries, pale and rosy at sunrise, purple at noon, glowing at sunset, and ethereal under the moonlight. One reference states he painted over 50 pictures of Rouen’s Notre Dame Cathedral.

Church of Sainte–Jeanne d’Arc, and the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, are located a few blocks from the Cathedral. The church is surrounded by the marketplace, which in turn is surrounded by several large restaurants with ample outside eating areas.