Rouen, Its History and Monuments

Rouen’s streets and churches become evidence of its past in this historical guide by Théodore Licquet. Presented in an abridged English translation, the book begins with the city’s ancient name and the traces of Roman walls found beneath later buildings. Licquet follows the changing boundaries beside the Seine, linking the growth of the town to its bishops, religious foundations and rulers. He also weighs competing explanations, separating claims he regards as credible from uncertain local traditions.

The church descriptions give visitors specific architectural details to look for. At Saint-Gervais, a stone staircase leads down to a crypt containing burial arcades. Saint-Paul provides another example, with its three rounded apses, exterior carvings and the town’s plans to preserve part of the older building beside a new church. For readers interested in urban history and architecture, the guide records how streets, foundations and surviving stonework were interpreted in the nineteenth century.