All churches great and small

Apologies to James Herriot and hymnist Cecil Alexander for plagiarizing….
Rouen cathedral is the largest in France. It’s an amazing site both outside and inside. At 144m (472 feet) long with ceilings soaring to 23m (70 feet) it’s a huge space with significant impact on French culture. Here is the place where the heart of Richard the LionHeart is buried (his remains are spread all over France!), the black marble tomb of John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford, one of the English commanders who oversaw Joan of Arc's trial, and for the years from 1876 to 1880, the spire made Rouen Cathedral the world's tallest building. The cathedral almost survived WW2 unscathed but was hit with several bombs during the days before D-Day.

Down the road is the Church of Saint Maclou which was built towards the end of the Gothic period. The decoration of the church is macabre, beckoning back to the church's grim past rooted in the Black Death pandemic.Read more