Jumièges
Today’s misadventure was brought to you by the number 30.
Thirty is the bus that one takes to get from Rouen to Jumièges.
Abbaye Notre Dame with the Hotellerie
Jumièges is a village about 20kms from Rouen, and it is famous because of the Ruins there. In the middle of Jumièges, one can find some of the most stunning Christian ruins I’ve ever seen. L’Abbaye de Jumièges was founded in the 7th century by St. Philibert on a gift of land from Queen Mathilde, the wife of Clovis II. It was a Benedictine Monastery, and came into prominence when William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant), the Duke of Normandy and King of England, dedicated the new Abbaye Notre-Dame in honour of his victory at Hastings.
The Hotellerie
Unfortunately, over the years, the Abbey has been plundered again and again, first by the Vikings, and then by the French themselves, who, after the Revolution, sold the abbey off in lots to whomever could afford it, and much of the newer sections of the Monastery were sold off in pieces, as masonry and materials for other buildings. It was only in the 1950s that the property came to the possession of the Republic, when it was designated an historic site.
We are lucky that what remains, remains.
The Abbey
But, before we get to the Abbey, the misadventure.
Jumièges has been on my travel radar since I decided I was going to stay in Rouen. On the map, it’s not far – only 20kms or so outside of Rouen. I learned early on in my French travels, however, that getting from here to there isn’t that easy if you don’t have a car.
When I researched Jumièges, and how to get there, most directions are by car. There is no indication of busses, trains, or anything of the like. The problem seems to be with how the CREA, or the Greater Rouennais Area, is organized. Like most cities of its size, Rouen has a well-developed and organized transport system, but outside of the main areas, public transport is sketchy.
Up til last week, the only lead i had in getting to Jumieges at all was to use FILO’R, which is an on-demand public transport system run by CREA so that people in rural areas can get to other rural centres. From what i gather, one can call up FILO’R, make a reservation, and it picks you up and drops you off. Simple. But one has to register, and as a non-resident of the CREA, that proved difficult.
It was in Dieppe, however, that I saw for the first time coaches that weren’t specific to the city – there are, indeed, intercity coaches. Based on the info on the bus, I started digging again, and finally (finally!) came upon the information. There was indeed a bus that goes to Jumièges.
Problem #2 was that April is low season in France. There have been plenty of tourists around, but apparently not as many as there are in summer. As such, the bus I needed, the infamous #30, runs once a week – on Sundays. And even then, there are only 4 or 5 trips out and back during the day. I was able, however, to get to Mont Riboudet, the TEOR station near the Docks 76 mall, and catch the bus.
The drive out to Jumièges is beautiful. The road follows the Seine, and is often wedged between the river and the cliffs. There were a few small towns along the way, and had I had the time (or a car) I would have stopped here and there to check things out.
Problem #3, which is a problem I have found everywhere in Europe, is that there seems to be the assumption that everyone knows where they are going. I say this is an assumption because in most cases, things are not well-signed. Streets, stops, buildings: If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’re kinda screwed. There are plenty of arrows around pointing in general directions, but it’s still frustrating.
So I’m on the bus, watching the countryside go by, when we pull in to what I assumed was Jumièges. No clear signage. Now, when I got on the bus, I asked the driver specifically if this bus went to the Abbaye de Jumieges, and she said yes. Perhaps it was silly of me to make this assumption, but at home, when people ask the driver specific information about a particular stop, my experience has been that the driver will indicate, “Hey, this is your stop.”
As Mr. Barkell, my Grade 7 gym teacher used to say, “When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.”
The Abbey went by. She didn’t stop.
The next stop goes by, no stop.
At this point, I’m confused, firstly because she didn’t stop, secondly because I couldn’t find any string to pull or button to push to get her to stop.
And suddenly, I found myself in Le Trait. Two towns over. Six kms away.
FML. I'd already waled over 1k at this point
It was a lovely walk to the Abbey. Only an hour or so.
I can say, without a doubt, that the Abbey was worth all the trouble. It was a cold, cloudy day, and those of us on the walking tour, which was free with the 5€ entry fee, huddled together whenever we stopped.
Most of the original church, from the 7th Century was Romaneque, and very little remains except for foundations. Most of the new Catherdral was build around and over the old building, using it as the foundations.
The Cathedral from where the Choir would be
This photo is taken from where the Choir and Sanctuary would have been – only a 13th Century gothic ruin remains. The church, however, was not destroyed by the many Viking invasions that plagued the area throughout the medieval period. The majority of the Monastery was disassembled by the owners of the land after the Revolution. Since the church was basically banned after the revolution, the land was sold to whoever wanted it, and as with many other religious sites around France, the stone was sold off as building supplies to anyone around who could pay for it. Indeed, the owner of the Abbey in the 1700s and 1800s went so far as to blow up the Choir in order to gain access to the stones. It’s unimaginable to us today, I think, but it was common practice in those days. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
The Nave
What is left, however, is a treasure. The nave, which is still standing except for the roof, is the tallest Romanesque nave in Europe – it stands at some 25 meters.
Notre-Dame
Another feature of the church, which is different from other cathedrals and basilicas in France, is that it is Romanesque and not Gothic, which means that while it has all the height of cathedrals of the period, the decor is quite austere – there are very few ornaments, and no sculptures to speak of. it is still quite inspiring and beautiful.
The Romanesque Facade of the Abbey
While most of the monastery buildings were destroyed after the revolution for its raw materials, two other parts survive – Eglise Saint-Pierre and the Hotellerie.
While Notre Dame was open to the public (well, the important public), Saint-Pierre was the monasterial church, and only monks were allowed to attend. It was, at one time, attached to the refectory.
North West corner of Eglise Saint-Pierre
Notre Dame is grans in it scale, but Saint-Pierre is grand in that it was likely more ornate. In the photo above, you can see the difference in decoration from Notre-Dame, with medallions (the round depressions) which would have held frescoes of saints and martyrs.
Detail in the south east corner of Saint-Pierre
In this photo, we can see a piece of wall exposed from the deterioration of the building, that reveals a fresco or painting that dates back to the 9th Century, when the original church was built. You can also see the face sculpted into the column, something that does not appear in Notre Dame.
Looking east through Saint-Pierre's nave
I’ve been in a lot of churches, cathedrals and basilica this year off, and while they are each impressive in their own way, there is something about ruined sanctuaries. Being able to see the sky and surroundings through the empty windows and missing sections somehow inspires me more, makes me think that maybe there is something greater than us, and maybe this is the way we were meant to worship and give thanks, not enclosed by stained glass and stone and wood, but exposed to all that god has created.
It just speaks to me more, I guess
The facade of the Hotellerie
The Hotellerie was originally the border between the part of the monastery that was open to outsiders, and the private world of the monks. At one time, it had chambers for guests, as well as reception rooms and even a library.
Detail of the Ruins
L’Abbaye de Jumièges is a wonderful site, and while it was bloody cold the day I visited, I was glad that there weren’t a lot of people around – it allowed me to look around, explore, and take photos without other people in them (for the most part). The quiet was lovely, and it was easy to see why this place was chosen as a monastery – the natural beauty of the area, the proximity to the Seine, and the beauty of the buildings must have made an awe-inspiring impression on all who came here.
Right across from the Abbey, I took the time to have a hot chocolate (Chocolat a l’Ancienne – I think it was actual chocolate) and a Polonnaise, and just enjoy and relax. The owners were lovely, and the gentleman recognized my accent as Canadian. It was a nice reception.
Seeing as I still had 90 minutes to kill, I decided to walk along the road til the bus came. Jumieges is a charming village, and most of the yards I walked by had chickens, geese, ducks, goats and even some had cattle. There were vegetable gardens and farmers fields. It was wonderfully rustic, and quite a contrast to the opulence that the Abbey must have represented.
If you do get to Rouen, make sure you visit Jumieges. Just make sure you go when the bus is running, and ask to be let off at the right stop.
Details
Website for l’Abbaye de Jumièges
Website for CREA, with links to public transport on the homepage.
The name of the cafe right across from the Abbey (and the Tourism Office) is L’heure des thés. No website
Rocky on the Road 