Rouen, Its History and Monuments | Page 6

entrance to the choir: In 1777, it was replaced by the present. This screen, notwithstanding its beauty, is unfortunately not in a style correspondent with the rest of the church. The upper gallery is surmounted by a gilt figure of Christ, made of lead, by Clodion. Between the pillars, we remark two marble altars, each ornamented with a white marble statue. That to the right is the statue of the Virgin, a much esteemed sculpture by Lecomte. This altar has retained the name autel da v?u (or the altar of the vow) since 1637, on account of a grand procession, which took place at that time, to obtain the cessation of the plague. The procession, in reentering the church stopped before this altar, on which the civic authorities placed a silver lamp, weighing forty marks. The statue to the left is that of saint Cecile, the patroness of musicians. This sculpture is also from the chisel of Clodion. Both altars are ornamented with handsome bas-reliefs, the one to the right representing, Jesus-Christ placed in the tomb; that to the left, Saint Cecile, at the moment of her death.
The actual existence of a library in the Cathedral, may be traced back as far as the year 1424. The canons, caused to be erected, for that purpose, over the cellar of the chapter house, the large building which we see at present. It was about one hundred feet long by twenty five broad. They ascended to it by a handsome gothic staircase, erected by order of the cardinal William d'Estouteville, during the second half of the XVth century, and placed in the corner of the northern transept. This library was plundered and destroyed by the calvinists, in 1562, but, was restored by the archbishop Francis de Harley.
In 1788, the chapter ordered an additional story to be built over the library, destined to receive the records of the church. The higher portion of the staircase which conducts to this story, was erected in 1789, and in the same style as the rest of it.
As far as 1112 the cathedral possessed several manuscripts, which were destroyed in the fire of 1200.
A great portion of the books of the cathedral are now deposited in the public library at the town-hall.
There are twenty five chapels in the circumference of the Cathedral. The most spacious, and the first to the right on entering, is that of Saint-Stephen, la grande eglise. It was formerly the Parish church of Notre-Dame.
At the extremity of this aisle of the nave in going up, is the chapel of petit Saint-Romain, where the tomb of Rollo, the first duke is situated. This prince had formerly been buried in the sanctuary, near the great altar, which, at the time, was situated at the higher end of the present nave. The altar having been removed farther back, the remains of Rollo were deposited in the corner arcade where they now are. Above the arcade is the following inscription on a table of black marble, of which the following is a translation.
Here lies Rollo, the first duke, the founder and father of Normandy, of which he was at first the terror and the scourge, but afterwards the restorer. Baptised in 912 by Francon, archbishop of Rouen, and died in 917[5]. His remains had formerly been deposited in the ancient sanctuary, where is at present the upper end of the nave. The altar having been removed to another place, the remains of the prince were deposited here, by the blessed Maurille, archbishop of Rouen, in the year 1063.
On the opposite aisle, and exactly opposite the chapel we hare just left, is that of Saint-Anne. The remains of Guillaume-Longue-Ep��e, the son and successor of Rollo, who was assassinated in an island of the Somme, by order of Arnould, count of Flanders, are deposited in this chapel. His remains are placed like those of his father, in an arched corner, above which, is the following inscription, which we translate thus.
Here lies Guillaume-Longue-Ep��e, son of Rollo, duke de Normandy, killed by treason in the year 944. His remains had formerly been deposited in the ancient sanctuary, where is at present the upper end of the nave. The altar having been removed to an other place, the remains of the prince were deposited in this place by the blessed Maurille, in the year 1063.
What has become, of those funeral monuments, erected, formerly in the choir of the Cathedral, in honour of kings, princes or warriors? Who will assure us that the inscriptions placed at present in the sanctuary, point out to us, the illustrious dead whose tombs we seek? Where is the heart of Charles Vth, which was deposited in the middle of the sanctuary? That of Richard-Coeur-de-Lion, to the right of the high altar? The remains of Bedford, the son,