Aître Saint-Maclou

A former medieval cemetery and ossuary, one of the few of its kind still preserved in Europe. The Saint-Maclou cemetery dates back to the Black Death of 1348; its galleries, built to hold the bones, were erected from 1526 onwards, on Rue Martainville, near the Saint-Maclou church. The site has been listed as a historic monument since 1862.

The ossuary consists of four galleries, largely timber-framed, around a central courtyard. The columns bear early Renaissance carvings, including couples depicting a danse macabre, and the timbers are decorated with funerary motifs: skulls, bones and gravediggers’ tools. A mummified cat can also be seen. The site underwent a full renovation from 2018 onwards.

For groups : School classes can visit freely, using information panels and a free web application, or take a one-hour guided tour on the theme of the archaeological excavations or the danse macabre. One-hour workshops extend the visit, on funerary archaeology, the danse macabre or ceramics at the nearby Galerie des arts du feu. Tours can be given in any language, with an adaptable length, and are booked through Rouen Sites et Monuments; audio guides in several languages are also available.

Aître Saint-Maclou – Rue Martainville, 76000 Rouen

Free access – guided tours on request