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Cathedral Notre Dame de Rouen

Looking up at a mature deciduous tree  glowing in sunlight outside the Notre Damme de Rouen, Northern France.

Before I move on to our next destination - Lisbon, I wanted to elaborate on the trip to RouenI have been meaning to share this collection of photographs for weeks. As the saying goes, better late than never. In this post, there are mostly captures of the Notre Dame Cathedral, both of the outside and inside. It is a tremendously impressive structure. At the end, I have included a few photos of some other churches we saw on our walk across the city, like the unusual Church of St. Joan of Arc.

Looking up at the clouds in the sky behind the facade of Rouen's Notre Damme.
Looking up at the facade of Rouen's Notre Dame

Close up of the centre of the facade in Rouen's Cathedral.
Close up of the facade

Wear and tear in the detail of the walls in Rouen's Cathedral in Northern France.
Detail on the walls of the cathedral

Carvings on the facade of Rouen's Cathedral in Normandy.
Carvings on the walls of the Rouen Cathedral

Close up of the wear and tear on the carvings on the facade of Rouen's Cathedral.
Sunlight on the carvings

Looking up at the detail in the door way of Rouen's Cathedral.
Looking up at the entry way
You can feel the gothic grandeur of this Cathedral as you approach it. I couldn't walk back far enough to capture it in it's entirety in one shot, even with my phone. I loved taking a closer look at the carvings on the walls and the wear and tear they've sustained over the years. Then you look up at the towering entrance before stepping in to see the interior illuminated by the light shining through the stained glass windows.

Light shining through stained glass onto the walls of the Cathedral in Rouen, France.
Light shining on the walls inside the Cathedral

Side aisle inside the Cathedral of Notre Damme in Rouen, France.
Side aisle of the Notre Dame de Rouen

Light shining through stained glass onto the walls of the Rouen Cathedral.
Light shining through stained glass onto the walls of the Cathedral

Looking up at the ceiling inside the Cathedral of Rouen.
Interior of the Rouen Cathedral

Stained glass and reflections inside the Rouen Cathedral.
Stained glass and reflections

On the inside of the Cathedral of Rouen, Northern France.
Inside the Cathedral

Organ inside the Rouen cathedral with a round stained glass window above it.
Rouen Cathedral Organ
It is no wonder the Notre Dame has been an inspiration for artists like Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro in the 19th century. Both of them painted this grand cathedral more than once. Monet captured it over 30 times in varying light conditions and weather. This impressionist artist spent six months painting the Rouen Cathedral. He was fascinated with the way the changing light conveyed different character at various times of the day and year. Claude Monet spent 12 hours a day painting this cathedral, sometimes even 10 canvases at a time!

Notre Dame de Rouen over a roof of a building



Outside side view of the Rouen Cathedral in Normandy.
Exterior side view of the Cathedral

Sun shining on the front of the Cathedral in Rouen, France.
Sunlight on the front of the Cathedral

Looking up at the side of the Cathedral in Rouen.
Side view of the Rouen Cathedral

Sunbeam on the outside of the Rouen Cathedral.
Sunlight beam on the outside of the Cathedral

Tower on a yellow building in front of trees in Rouen.
Tower on a building in Rouen, France

Looking up at a church and the sky in Rouen, Normandy.
Exterior of a Church in Rouen
The church of St. Joan of Arc is situated on the historic Place du Vieux-Marché, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. The church was designed in the shape of an overturned boat. While on the outside it looks rather unchurch-like, the inside is illuminated by 13 stained glass windows. The ceiling also looks more impressive on the inside and you can really see the boat inspiration for this architecture. The windows date back to the 16th century and were part of another church. They were salvaged before the church was destroyed during World War II. 

Outside view of the Joan of Arc Church at sunset in Rouen.
Church of St. Joan of Arc in Rouen

Stained glass window panes in the Joan of Arc Church in Rouen.
Stained glass windows in the St. Joan of Arc Church

Stained glass window panes in the Church of Joan of Arc in Rouen, France.
Stained glass panels in the Church of St. Joan of Arc

After Rouen, we spent two days at sea sailing to Lisbon. While we didn't get to see much of the city, I had some time to enjoy the early morning ahead of our expedition to Sintra and Cascais. Before the sun rose over the port of Lisbon, I watched the moon set over the city. This collection will be my next post, hopefully sooner than a month from now!

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