Besides the Cathedral and the Abbey of St. Ouen, the city of Rouen possesses
other churches well deserving the attention of the traveller. Next to St. Ouen,
say the guides, you must by all means go and see the Church of St. Maclou. The
chief beauties of the Church of St. Maclou are its Tower and Porch. Of the
Tower, however, little more than the lantern now remains. This is about one
hundred and sixty English feet in height. Above it there was a Belfry or Steeple
one hundred and ten feet in height. It was constructed of wood and lead, and it was
nearly destroyed during the Revolution, in order to get at the lead to make bullets.
The exterior of the Porches are remarkable for their elaborate ornaments,
especially those in the Rue de la Martainville. They are highly praised by the
inhabitants, and are supposed to be after the models of the celebrated Goujon.
“ Perhaps,” says a recent traveller, “ they are rather encumbered with ornament,
and want the quiet effect, and pure good taste which we see in the porches of the
Cathedral, and the Church of St. Ouen. However, all must agree in reprobating the
barbarous edict which doomed these exquisitely delicate pieces of sculpture
to be deluged with an overwhelming tint of staring yellow ochre.”