Church of St. Ouen, Rouen

The Church of St. Ouen, Rouen is a large Gothic church, 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.
== 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 completed in the 15th century in the rayonnant 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.http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Abbey_of_Saint-Ouen 
== Architecture ==
The church measures 137m long under 33m high vaults. The central crossing is surmounted by an unusual lantern-style tower similar to that at Ely Cathedral in England. The well-preserved stained glass is predominantly from the 14th century, featuring jewel tones among panels of clear and frosted white glass, and leading to a brighter interior than is usual with Gothic churches. The hitherto unfinished façade was completed between 1846 and 1851.
== Organ ==
The basilica 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.
{| border="0"	I Positif
----	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’ 	
* 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., Orage
==Notes==
==External links==
*Description of the church and organ
Category:14th-century architecture
Category:15th-century architecture
Category:19th-century architecture
Category:Rouen
Category:Benedictine monasteries in France
Category:Gothic architecture
Rouen, Church of St. Ouen, Rouen
de:St-Ouen de Rouen
es:Iglesia abacial de Saint-Ouen
fr:Abbatiale Saint-Ouen de Rouen
he:כנסיית סנט אואן