MedievalArt.org.uk - Photographs by Stuart Whatling

Rouen Cathedral - the Portal Sculpture

Rouen has two remarkable 13th century sculpted transept portals. To the South is the Portail de la Calende with a large number of complex scenes from the Old Testament and from the lives of various local saints.
To the north of the cathedral is the even more extraordinary Portail des Libraires, begun in 1278, under Archbishop de Flavacourt, whose 200 odd quatrefoil panels feature a thin strip of 22 scenes from Genesis plus the most comprehensive and imaginitive collection of grotesques and hybrid monsters ever to emerge from a medieval stonemason's yard.

Work in Progress - I'm starting with the the North Transept as I need these images for my thesis. South transept will follow in due course

To navigate through the many groups of sculptures, please use the following index pages;

The North Transept Portal (Portail des Libraires)

• Quatrefoils to left of doorway

• Quatrefoils to right of doorway

• Trumeau quatrefoils and other elements
  

The South Transept Portal

• Quatrefoils to left of doorway

• Quatrefoils to right of doorway

• Trumeau quatrefoils and other elements
  

North Transept Portal (Portail des Libraires)

Below: North Transept Portal (Portail des Libraires) - View of the quatrefoils to the left of the door

Below: North Transept Portal (Portail des Libraires) - View of the quatrefoils to the right of the door