Church of St. Ouen in Rouen
Description
The Church of St. Ouen is a large Gothic Roman Catholic church in Rouen, northern France, famous for both its architecture and its large, unaltered Cavaillé-Coll organ, which Charles-Marie Widor described as "a Michelangelo of an organ". Built on a similar scale to nearby Rouen Cathedral, it is, along with church of Saint Maclou, one of the principal Gothic monuments of Rouen.
Plan.The Abbey
The church was originally built as the abbey church of Saint Ouen for the Benedictine Order, beginning in 1318 and interrupted by the Hundred Years' War and sacked and badly damaged during the Harelle. It was completed in the 15th century in the Flamboyant style.
The foundation of St. Ouen's Abbey has been variously credited, among others, to Clothair I and to St. Clothilda, but evidence is scanty. It was dedicated at first to St. Peter when the body of St. Ouen, Archbishop of Rouen (d. 678), was buried there; the name of St. Peter and St. Ouen became common and finally St. Ouen only. The history of the abbey, on record from the 1000, is unremarkable; a list of abbots is in Gallia Christiana XI, 140. In 1660 the monastery was united to the Congregation of St. Maur, and when suppressed, in 1794, the community numbered twenty-four. The abbey building itself was vacated by the time of the French Revolution and was subsequently occupied by the Town Hall of Rouen.
Architecture
The church is 137 m in length under 33 m high vaults. The central crossing is surmounted by an unusual lantern-style tower similar to that at Ely Cathedral in England. The tower was completed in the Flamboyant style. The well-preserved stained glass of the nave dates to the 15th and 16th centuries, and features jewel tones among panels of clear and frosted white glass. These materials allow more light to filter into the nave, creating a brighter interior than is typical of Gothic churches. Despite the use of Flamboyant tracery in the aisles, triforium, and clerestory, the nave maintains a conservative appearance through the use of compound piers, trumpet bases, and capitals which helps maintain harmony throughout the edifice. The west façade was never completed during the Middle Ages. It was constructed between 1846 and 1851 in a Neo-Gothic style that bears little resemblance to the original Late Gothic designs.
- Architectural Details
Organ
The church contains a large four-manual pipe organ built in 1890 by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. This instrument is considered to be one of the most important organs in France, and is notable for its unusually powerful 32' Contre Bombarde. The organ stands unaltered and thus is one of the few of the master's works to speak with its original voice.
I Positif Montre 8’ Bourdon 8’ Gambe 8’ Unda maris 8’ Flûte douce 4’ Dulciane 4’ Doublette 2’ Plein-jeu V 1’ Cor anglais 16’ Trompette 8’ Cromorne 8’ Clairon 4’ II Grand-Orgue Montre 16’ Violon-basse 16’ Bourdon 16’ Montre 8’ Diapason 8’ Bourdon 8’ Salicional 8’ Flûte harmonique 8’ Prestant 4’ Trompette en chamade 8’ Clairon en chamade 4’ III Récit expressif Quintaton 16’ Corno dolce 16’ Diapason 8’ Flûte traversière 8’ Cor de nuit 8’ Voix éolienne 8’ Viole de gambe 8’ Voix céleste 8’ Flûte octaviante 4’ Viole d’amour 4’ Quinte 2 2/3’ Octavin 2’ Carillon I-III 1’ Cornet V 8’ Tuba magna 16’ Trompette harmonique 8’ Basson-Hautbois 8’ Clarinette 8’ Voix Humaine 8’ Clairon harmonique 4’ Tremolo IV Bombarde Grosse Flûte 8’ Flûte 4’ Doublette 2’ Fourniture V 2 2/3’ Cornet V 16’ Bombarde 16’ Basson 16’ Trompette 8’ Clairon 4’ Pédale Soubasse 32’ Contre-basse 16’ Soubasse 16’ Basse 8’ Violoncelle 8’ Bourdon 8’ Flûte 4’ Contre-bombarde 32’ Bombarde 16’ Basson 16’ Trompette 8’ Clairon 4’- Couplers: Tirasse G.O., Tirasse Pos., Tirasse Réc., Appel G.O., Pos./G.O., Réc./G.O., Bomb./G.O., Pos./Réc., Bomb./Réc., Oct. gr. G.O., Oct. gr. Réc./G.O., Oct. gr. Réc., Oct. aiguë Réc., Anches Péd., Anches G.O., Anches Pos., Anches Réc., Anches Bomb., Trémolo Réc., Expression Réc.
Street view
Reviews
The Church of St-Ouen is larger than Rouen Cathedral and has much less exterior decoration, so the vast Gothic proportions and purity of its lines make an immediate impact on the viewer.
Flanked by four turrets, the 115m (375-ft.) octagonal lantern tower of St. Ouen Church has been dubbed "the ducal crown of Normandy."
The stained glass windows, dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, are the most spectacular features of the spare interior. The 19th-century pipe organ is among the finest in France.
The cathedral is a lovely spot to view the windows and quietly reflect upon life. We we're fortunate to hear a trumpet and organ concert that was quite good. The acoustics in the cathedral are amazing.
While we were there we heard someone playing the organ. It was real, not a recoding piped in over the speakers. On display at the front of the church there was a stand with CDs trumpet and organ recording made in the church by organist Marie-Andrew Morisset-Balier and trumpeter Michel Morisset. We selected two CDs and went to pay the gentleman sitting nearby.
"Would you like to see the organ?", he asked. Next thing we knew he had picked up his trumpet and lead us up the narrow circular staircase into the organ loft. There he introduced us to the organist, his wife Marie-Andree Morisset-Balier and himself Michel Morisset. They launched into a movement from a symphony by Ernest Chausson that Mr Morisset had transcribed for trumpet and organ. It was a magical experience standing next to them as they played. When it was over Mr Morisset led us down the staircase (Thank God for the rope railing that we held on to! ) and hung around for a bit while Mrs Morisset-Balier continued to play the organ. Soon we saw Mr Morisset leading another small group up to the organ loft for their own private recital.
I am guessing the Mr & Mrs Morisset are on the abbey’s music staff. They like playing in this magnificent setting and supplementing their income with sales of their CDS. If you visit the church in the afternoon, you just may get lucky as we did. Good luck!
