Joan's Place

First church

Saturday was our day in Rouen, famous for  its connection to Joan of Arc. In the morning before we docked, our program director presented a lecture about Joan; we found that all of the educational presentations were superb. After lunch we went forth in groups of about fifteen with our learned guides.

Rouen turned out to be a great place for someone who wants to visit churches. There were two very old ones that we visited, as well as one contemporary church.

Second church

I've a fondness for gargoyles, and the second church had them in abundance.

A group of old dudes.

This was kind of a nifty thing. A complete set of new bells had been cast for the second church's carillon, and when we visited they were all lined up near the altar. We learned that the next day during Mass these bells would be blessed before being installed.

We were taken to the supposedly exact spot where Joan of Arc had been burned at the stake. I found this to be a bit creepy and did not take a picture. But I did like this very contemporary church that was built adjacent to that spot.

Church ceiling.

Joe and I have a knack for running into weddings when we are traveling and I was tickled to see this couple strolling through the old streets of Rouen. It turned out that they were not newlyweds but rather were being photographed for an advertisement. In this picture I believe that the groom has just noticed that he wore the wrong shoes.