Rouen, Its History and Monuments Part 7

ROYAL COLLEGE,

_Rue du Grand-Maulevrier._

The entrance court, is almost square, and surrounded on the four sides by buildings of a regular architecture. This portion formed the ancient college of the Jesuits. At a short distance to the north, and on a raised portion of ground, stands a large building formerly called the _Joyeuse seminary_, from the name of its founder, the cardinal de Joyeuse. These two establishments have now been united. That part, named _Joyeuse_, is exclusively reserved for the youngest children: they have their separate play ground, which is formed of the terraces of the garden. The courts, which are alloted to the other cla.s.ses, are situated lower than the former. The college contains about two hundred boarders and five hundred day scholars.

The college church particularly deserves to be mentioned. Its porch is situated in the rue Bourg-L'abbe; we remark on the right of the entrance a statue of Charlemagne, which we recognise by the globe he holds in his hand; on the left, is that of Saint-Louis. The erection of this church was commenced in 1614. It was formerly intended to be attached to the college of the Jesuits. Marie de Medicis laid the first stone of this church, which was only finished in 1704, and dedicated on the 21st of december of the same year. Several paintings decorate the interior, which is grand and majestic. The public are admitted into this church during the hours of divine service.

The munic.i.p.al administration has caused a handsome marble mausoleum to be erected to the memory of the cardinal de Joyeuse, the founder of the seminary, in one of the lateral chapels to the left on entering.

HOSPITALS.

HoTEL-DIEU,

_Rue de Lecat, at the extremity of the rue de Crosne._

The establishment of vast hospitals is very ancient in Rouen. The one of which I am speaking was formerly situated near the cathedral, between the _Calende square_ and the _rue de la Madeleine_. The house which is opposite the southern porch of Notre-Dame, is a part of the remains of that hospital. In 1758, it was transferred to the new building, which had been erected in 1749, on the place called _the Lieu-de-Sante_, other buildings having been afterwards added.

The Hotel-Dieu is exclusively reserved for the reception of the inhabitants of the town, excepting cases of urgency, which after having been treated during six months, are dismissed as incurable, and are admitted into the Hospice-General, if they have dwelt during ten years in the town. More than four thousand persons are admitted into this hospital annually. About two thirds of the sick are under the care of the physicians, the remainder under that of the surgeons of the establishment. Different rooms are reserved for different maladies. One of these is alloted to soldiers; another, which is known under the name of _Gesine_, is reserved for lying in women. There is also a separate room for Children under five years of age, and several rooms for boarders.

There are in all fifteen rooms, containing together more than six hundred beds, the half of which are of iron.

The medical practice is divided into two distincts parts; that of physicians, that of surgeons. Their visits are made regularly twice in the day.

The Hotel-Dieu, is at the western extremity of the _rue de Crosne-hors-Ville_, which is planted with trees, and offers a fine avenue. The buildings which form the hospital (properly so called), are those which are situated opposite the entrance gate which gives admittance to the vast court of the hospital.

The two hospitals are under the same superintendance which is renewed by one fifth, every year. This commission acquires each day a greater right to public grat.i.tude and especially to that of the poor.

HOSPICE-GeNeRAL.

This is situated in the lower part of the town, to the south-east, and occupies a vast portion of ground adjoining the boulevard Martainville.

Grat.i.tude causes us here to mention the name of Claude Groulard, first president of the parliament of Rouen, in 1602. From that date the establishment of an hospital, really took place for the reception of the poor sick inhabitants. Previously, there existed only a subsidy, for the relief of the poor. After Groulard, a counsellor of parliament, named Damiens, wishing to uphold more effectually the existence of the hospital; quitted his house and situation, on purpose to live within and in this way be nearer to watch over the wants of the poor.

The Hospice-General has been successively enlarged at different periods.

Lately, they have made a considerable purchase of land, and erected vast buildings. Its population is of about two thousand individuals. Although under the same administrative commission as the Hotel-Dieu, it has its particular director, who acts under the superintendance of the commission, which commission is subject to the public administration.

The care of foundlings is one of the princ.i.p.al attributes of the Hospice-General. Orphans, who are found without means of existence, are brought up in the same way as those who are abandoned; excepting, that they are maintained at the expence of the _communes_ to which they belong; while at the same time the others are chargeable to the departement; excepting however the a.s.sistence of the communes. The establishment provides the baby linen and clothing for the use of the foundlings; it likewise pays all the expenses of feeding and education of these children, as long as they remain in the hospital. When they are sent into the country, the amount of board, and nurses charges, till they attain the age of twelve years, is paid out of the funds of the departement. The Hospice-General, receives each year on an average about five or six hundred foundlings. A _tour_ is always ready at one of the entrances to receive them. Once a week, two coaches filled with these unfortunate little creatures, are sent off one into the country called the _pays de Bray_, the other to that called the _Roumois_, where they are left with agents who are charged to leave them with the nurses.

In each of those _communes_, doctors are employed by the administrative commission to visit them in case of sickness.

We perceive, the front of the church of the hospital, from the boulevard Martainville. In 1785, the ancient chapel belonging to this hospital being found too small to contain the population, it became necessary to erect the present for that purpose. This church was dedicated on the 25th march 1790. The architecture has been much criticised. Perhaps more harmony on the whole might have been desirable; but nevertheless, the different parts of it are handsome, and the edifice, such as it is, still does honour to its author, the late Mr Vauquelin.

The princ.i.p.al entrance to this hospital is situated in the rue Bourgerue.

THE ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE,

_Situated in the rue Saint-Julien, suburb of Saint-Sever._

The _freres de Saint-Yon_, having been invited, in 1705, to come and establish themselves in Rouen, by the archbishop Nicolas Colbert and the first president Nicolas Camus de Pont-Carre, they accordingly purchased the portion of ground, which bears their name, in 1708. They erected the church themselves without the a.s.sistance of an architect, even acting as masons and workmen. The first stone was laid on the 7th june 1728. This edifice is of remarkable execution. In the exterior, its elevation is about ninety six feet including a lantern of about thirty, which stands above the transept of the edifice. In the interior, the length is one hundred and twenty five feet and the breadth twenty five feet. On the 16th of july 1734, the _Freres de Saint-Yon_, carried with great pomp, to their Church, the remains of their founder, the venerable Lasalle, who died in 1719, and was buried in the church of Saint-Sever.

Independently of poor children, who were instructed by the monks according to their condition, they likewise received incorrigible children, who were sent by their parents to be taken care of; they also received a limited number of insane persons, thirty were habitually kept here at the expence of their families.

From the time when the _Freres de Saint-Yon_, as also all other religious communities, were suppressed, untill 1820, the house of Saint-Yon, became successivly a revolutionary prison, a barrack, a _grenier d'abondance_, or corn store house, a house of detention for spanish prisoners, an hospital for wounded soldiers in 1814, and a poor house. This last establishment was one of the most considerable of this description; but, it was suppressed in 1820, by royal ordonance.

Already in the preceding year, the _Conseil general_ of the departement of the Seine-Inferieure had taken into consideration the deplorable state, to which the unfortunate insane were reduced, and they resolved to alleviate their wretched condition. It had been represented to them that these unfortunate people could not receive in the hospitals of Rouen, Havre or Dieppe, where there were great numbers of them shut up, the great attention, which their position required, or not even those which humanity demanded.

The _conseil general_ on a proposition from Mr Malouet, then prefect of the departement, voted the establishment of a special asylum for the insane belonging to the departement. The buildings and dependencies of the ancient monastery of Saint-Yon were designated as being fit for that purpose. The situation of the place at the extremity of the suburb, and in a healthy situation, and the numerous plantations which it would be easy to make in the large gardens which surround the establishment, appeared as many favourable circ.u.mstances, to fix the choice of the administration.

Therefore, in 1821, they entered into a contract for the building of five different courts for the treatement of insane persons.

On the 25th August 1822, on the feast of Saint-Louis, the prefect Mr de Vanssay laid the first stone of the establishement.

From that time the works were carried on with activity. Already in July 1825, fifty seven patients had been admitted. This asylum contains at this time, 390 boarders and 150 poors at the charge of the departement.

It occupies a superficies of nine or ten hectares. The inmates are taken care of by the sisters of Saint-Joseph of Cluny.

The admirable order which reigns in the establishment, the internal management to which the insane are subjected, have already attracted the attention of foreign medical men, who are charged with the treatement of the same malady in the hospitals of their own countries. It may be said that this asylum has, for several years served as a model to all the others.

PRISONS.

There are two princ.i.p.al prisons in Rouen: the _house of correction_, and the _maison de justice_, in the court of the Palais-de-Justice. The first, commonly called _Bicetre_, contains the debtors, prisoners accused but not tried, and those sentenced to imprisonment under twelve months; in the second those already convicted for crimes are confined.

Those sentenced to more than twelve months are sent to the central depot at Gaillon, ten leagues distant from Rouen.

According to a statement made by Mr Vingtrinier, the princ.i.p.al physician of the prisons, the average of the population of the house of correction is about three hundred; that of the _maison de justice_ about ninety; the mortality about one in fifty nine, in the first, and one in sixty eight, in the second.

SOLDIERS BARRACKS.

There are three different barracks in Rouen: the first is situated near the _quai aux Meules_ at Saint-Sever, and contains about one thousand men. The second on the Champ-de-Mars, and contains about seven hundred and fifty men. The third is the _caserne Bonne-Nouvelle_, situated in the suburb of Saint-Sever. Most people pa.s.s the ancient priory of _Bonne-Nouvelle_ (so named by Queen Matilda, on receiving the news of the victory of Hastings), and see only a barrack. To the monks who formerly inhabited this ancient priory, cuira.s.siers, dragoons and foot soldiers have succeeded.

The barracks of _Bonne-Nouvelle_ will contain about three hundred cavalry or about six hundred infantry.

REMARKABLE EDIFICES.