Located in the heart of the city, the Notre-Dame de Rouen cathedral is a monument where you can read the whole evolution of Gothic art. The construction of the building was undertaken in the middle of the 12th century, on the site of the Romanesque cathedral, of which the crypt has been preserved. A hundred years later it was complete but it was remodeled and completed over the following centuries.

The facade thus represents a precious testimony to the evolution of Gothic art from the middle of the 12th century to the beginning of the 16th century. The pretty lantern tower received a cast iron spire in the 19th century which rises to 151 meters!

The Cathedral shelters in the ambulatory some burials of the old dukes of Normandy, such that of Rollo, the founder of the duchy and that of Richard Coeur de Lion, who loved the city so much and had his heart placed in the crypt after his death. The entire history of stained glass from the 13th century to the present day can be read inside the church.

During the 1890s, the famous painter Claude Monet painted a series of 30 paintings representing the cathedral at different times of day and seasons.

The crypts of the cathedral can be visited, by reservation, at the Rouen tourist office.