Rouen Cathedral Gentle Present You Shouldn’t Miss

If you’re in Normandy within the summertime one exercise you should do is to attend the Rouen Cathedral mild present. The son et lumière takes place at Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen and it has run each summer season from June to September (precise dates and occasions are under) for the previous 11 years. In the course of the Rouen Armada, it ran each night time. After seeing the present, you’ll be much more intrigued to see the cathedral within the daytime, inside and outside. The structure of this Gothic church is really magnificent.

**This publish accommodates an affiliate hyperlink.  This implies should you make a reserving, I do earn a fee on every sale for free of charge to you. It helps assist the working of this web site and I do recognize your assist.**

A. Rouen Cathedral Gentle Present

1. Environment At The Cathedral Notre-Dame

Once I was in Rouen in June, I attended the Rouen Armada, the place tall ships from everywhere in the world collect and sail down the Seine River. The times have been packed from early morning to late at night time as there have been actions similar to taking excursions of the tall ships, cruises on the Seine, and fireworks every night time; nevertheless, I actually needed to see this sound and lightweight present at Cathedral Notre-Dame. So after dinner, I took a nap and bought up once more at 10:00 so I might be at Place de la Cathédrale for the 11:00 present.

Once I arrived at 10:45 there was already a crowd (adults and youngsters) within the pedestrian sq., with many spectators sitting on the bottom in entrance of this magnificent and spectacular Twelfth-century Gothic church. The cathedral has endured a lot injury over the previous 900 years and because of repeated restorations, it has stood the check of time. All the photographs, animations, and illuminations are projected on the west façade and two towers: Tour de Beurre and Tour Saint-Romain. No building or scaffolding obstructed the view because the renovations are being carried out inside.

2. Themes At The Cathedral of Gentle Exhibits

(a) Previous Themes

The magic started at 11:00 with an announcement about what we’d see. There are at all times themes. For the reason that Cathedral of Gentle reveals started in Rouen in 2012, there have been reveals about Impressionism, Joan of Arc, the Vikings, and William the Conqueror with tales instructed about their journeys. This yr there have been two reveals (one working proper after the opposite) with the themes:

(b) This 12 months’s Themes

New Worlds (Les Nouveaux Mondes)-this was about maritime conquests with explorations within the sea, on land, and even on the moon. One phase that stood out was Neil Armstrong touchdown on the moon. Photographs of his touchdown have been a part of the animations, together with imprints of the astronaut’s boots on the floor of the moon everywhere in the façade of the cathedral (see photograph). 135 singers from 4 choirs and the Rouen Conservatory offered the background music for this a part of the present.

Rendezvous With Gentle– this presentation invited the viewers to make use of their smartphones to work together with the projections. The viewers mainly creates the present by waving their smartphones or inserting a digital candle on the church’s façade. It occurred so quick that I couldn’t get the QR code that was projected on the church (see photograph), however you can see others have been profitable.

In line with the knowledge offered, precise Rouen residents’ photos are integrated with the animations within the present.  It was a very bizarre (in a great way) expertise and present. The present was just like the “Dame de Coeur” sound and lightweight present I noticed at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2018 however this was on a smaller scale. The present in Paris passed off simply 6 months earlier than the large fireplace that ravaged the church in April 2019. You possibly can learn concerning the occasion in my publish about Notre-Dame’s magnificence.

B. 5 Attention-grabbing Info About The Rouen Cathedral

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say one thing about Cathédral Notre-Dame de Rouen, which has an unimaginable historical past and is equally spectacular exterior as it’s inside. Let me depart you 5 fascinating info concerning the church:

1. Tallest Cathedral And Tallest Spire In France

Rouen’s Cathedral is the tallest in France due to the centre spire (flèche) on the Lantern Tower. The tower stands at 151 metres.  As compared, the spire on high of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris solely rose to 96 metres earlier than it collapsed and was destroyed within the 2019 fireplace.

2. Numerous Architectural Types Over The Previous 900+ Years

Cathedral Notre-Dame de Rouen is extremely previous. It was consecrated in 1063 within the presence of William the Conquerer and over the 900+ years, I couldn’t imagine what number of occasions the church has been broken. A whole lot of unhealthy luck?

For instance, the stained-glass home windows have been changed quite a few occasions all through the centuries. And on account of the continued injury and repairs, the architectural model of the Rouen Cathedral has modified over the centuries. Right this moment, renovations proceed within the cathedral.

1100s-early Gothic
fifteenth century-late Gothic (also called Flamboyant)
sixteenth century-Renaissance

The assorted types are significantly evident whenever you look at the towers the place new types have been added onto older types. There are three towers: the tallest is the Tour Lanterne within the center reaching a top of 151 metres. The Tour Saint-Romain is on the left (82 metres excessive), and the Tour de Beurre is on the fitting (75 metres excessive).

3. Fixed Harm To The Church Over The Centuries

Take a look at some notable occasions from the previous and ask your self, was it unhealthy luck or simply one thing to be anticipated for a church that has remained standing over the previous 9 centuries?

• 1200-fire destroys a part of the church that was nonetheless being constructed
• 1514-the Gothic spire, “La Grête” burns and falls
• 1500s-damaged through the French Wars of Faith
• 1625-struck by lightning
• 1642-struck by lightning
• 1683-damaged by a hurricane
• 1822-lightning destroyed the central tower’s spire
• April 1944-Throughout World Conflict II, British bombs broken elements of the church and two home windows
• June 1944-the Saint-Romain tower was set ablaze by American bombs
• December 1999-Throughout Cyclone Lothar, a 26-ton turret fell off the tower and into the church. The choir space was broken.

4. Claude Monet’s Work Of The Cathédrale de Rouen

French impressionist, Claude Monet produced a collection of greater than 30 work of the Rouen Cathedral. He spent 2 years (1892–1893) illustrating the church, shifting from canvas to canvas all through the day. He wished to see the church’s western façade from totally different angles, at totally different occasions of day, and in several climate situations as a result of he was intrigued by the ever-changing mild.

Along with portray within the sq., Monet additionally painted from a first-floor studio situated throughout the sq. and going through the cathedral. Right this moment the constructing is the Bureau des Funds de Rouen which now homes one of many Rouen vacationer workplaces. In 1894, Monet returned to Giverny to complete the work.

Right this moment, Monet’s work of the Rouen Cathedral could be present in public museums similar to Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen and Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

5. Richard the Lionheart’s Coronary heart

Richard I used to be a warrior King of England and extra generally often called Richard “The Lionheart” or “Coeur de Lion” (1157-1199). He spent little time in England and way more time in France. Profitable, however at occasions merciless, Richard I used to be a navy chief recognized for commanding the Third Campaign, which sought to recapture Jerusalem, the Holy Land.

Whereas Richard The Lionheart’s physique is buried in Fontevraud Abbey, his coronary heart was embalmed and buried in Notre Dame Cathedral in Rouen.  Within the 1800s, it was present in a small lead field. Hearsay had it that he was killed by a crossbow bolt or arrow, coated in poison however it was probably the wound simply bought contaminated.

C. Getting To Rouen

It is vitally straightforward to get to Rouen from Paris. The trains depart from Gare Saint Lazare and arrive at Rouen Rive Droite. The journey is just one hour quarter-hour and my Friday ticket was solely 7.7 Euros whereas my Sunday ticket was 17.6 €. The value actually is determined by the time and day that you simply select. Take a look at the Trainline web site for the perfect prepare costs to/from Rouen.

Rouen Cathedral Gentle Present

• Location: Place de la Cathédrale, Rouen
• Admission: free and appropriate for all ages
• Dates: each night time from June 2-September 17, 2023; final two weekends of September
• Time: 11:00 (however be sure you test with the vacationer workplace to substantiate the time)
  • June 30 by way of July 31 at 11:00 pm
  • August 1 by way of August 15 at 10:30 pm
  • August 16 by way of August 31 at 10:00 pm
  • September 1 by way of September 17 at 9:30 pm
  • September 22 & 23 at 9:30 pm
  • September 29 & 30 at 9:30 pm

Pin to your favorite board on Pinterest