Aître St-Maclou

Rouen


Decorated with lurid woodcarvings of skulls, crossbones, gravediggers’ tools and hourglasses (a reminder that your time, my friend, is running out), this macabre ensemble of half-timbered buildings was used for centuries as a cemetery for plague victims. Built between 1526 and 1533, it now houses Rouen’s École des Beaux-Arts (fine arts school).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Rouen attractions

1. Église St-Maclou

0.06 MILES

This supreme example of the Flamboyant Gothic–style church was built between 1437 and 1521, but much of the decoration dates from the Renaissance. The…

2. Abbatiale St-Ouen

0.18 MILES

This largely empty 14th-century abbey is a gloriously sublime and quite stunning example of the Rayonnant Gothic style, with a colossal interior dappled…

3. Historial Jeanne d'Arc

0.19 MILES

For an introduction to the great 15th-century heroine and the events that earned her fame – and shortly thereafter condemnation – don't miss this…

4. Cathédrale Notre Dame

0.23 MILES

Rouen’s stunning Gothic cathedral, built between the late 12th and 16th centuries, was famously the subject of a series of canvases painted by Monet at…

5. Monument Juif

0.34 MILES

The only relic of Rouen’s medieval Jewish community, expelled by Philippe le Bel in 1306, is hidden underneath the staircase at the eastern end of the…

6. Musée Le Secq des Tournelles

0.36 MILES

Home to one of the world’s premier collections of wrought iron, this riveting (excuse the pun) museum is an astonishing sight, showcasing the…

7. Palais de Justice

0.39 MILES

The ornately Gothic Law Courts, little more than a shell at the end of WWII, have been restored to their early-16th-century glory. On rue Jeanne d'Arc,…

8. Gros Horloge

0.39 MILES

Spanning rue du Gros Horloge, the Great Clock’s Renaissance archway has a gilded, one-handed medieval clock face on each side. High above, a Gothic belfry…