Cathedral · France · Restored

Rouen Cathedral

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen

Rouen Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen) is the Gothic seat of the Archbishop of Rouen, notable for its three distinct towers and richly sculpted west façade. Built and rebuilt from the 11th to 16th centuries and completed with a cast-iron spire in the 19th century, it combines Early Gothic, Flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance details into a single monumental church. The building remains the principal landmark of Rouen's cathedral quarter.

Recreate Cathedral to Explore →

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1030

Its prime

1884

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1884

What Rouen Cathedral looked like in its prime.

A vast Gothic silhouette of weathered pale limestone, dominated by a central lantern tower rising into a tall filigreed iron-and-copper spire with greenish patina, flanked by two unequal towers: the ornate 15th‑century Saint‑Romain belfry and the dense tracery of the Butter Tower. The west façade is a lace of carved portals, niches and rose window, with rows of stone galleries and pinnacles; flying buttresses and high clerestory windows run along the nave toward a multi‑chapel chevet crowned by a gilded statue of the Virgin.

Step inside

11 places to explore in 1884.

The record describes 11 distinct spots at Rouen Cathedral, including 5 interiors: nave, from west looking east, crossing and lantern tower under the spire, choir and high altar and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

Parvis and west approachWest central portal (Tree of Jesse)North transept portal (Portail des Librairies)South transept portal (La Calende)Butter Tower exteriorSaint‑Romain tower exteriorNave, from west looking eastCrossing and lantern tower under the spireChoir and high altarAmbulatory and Chapel of the Virgin (chevet)Crypt and Romanesque foundations

Build Your Own Castle