(anc. Rotomagus), one of the principal towns of France, anciently the capital of Normandy, and now of the department of Seine-Inférieure, on the Seine, 44 miles in a direct line, but twice as much by the river, above its mouth, and 70 N.N.W. of Paris. It stands on the right bank of the river, but has a suburb, St Sever, on the opposite side, connected with the main town by a suspension-bridge and by two arches of stone, which meet in the middle on the island de la Croix, just above the town. Towards the land Rouen is encircled with hills; and viewed from these, it has an appearance such as few other cities can boast of. Over the roofs of the houses rise several vast Gothic ecclesiastical edifices; the cathedral in the midst sending up a spire that towers as high above the others in the town as they do over the house-tops. And with all this mediæval and romantic splendour there are not wanting the factory chimneys and masts of vessels in the Seine, which tell of the modern prosperity of the place. The same combination of different epochs is apparent on a nearer view of the town; the streets are narrow, crooked, and dirty, lined with houses built mostly of wood, and presenting generally their gables to the street. But these streets swarm with busy crowds, and a range of fine new buildings stretches along the quays on the bank of the Seine. The line of the old fortifications is occupied by a boulevard stretching in a semicircle round the town, and inclosing within it all the historical and architectural monuments of Rouen; while without are suburbs occupied chiefly by the working-classes. The cathedral of Notre Dame is one of the most conspicuous objects in the town, and is calculated at the first sight to excite the wonder and admiration of the spectator; but its decorations, though rich and profuse, are not always in good taste. The vast western front is flanked by two elegant and stately towers, and the centre surmounted by a spire, not in harmony with the rest of the building, 436 feet high. The interior, 435 feet in length and 89½ in height, is in the early pointed style, and has three beautiful rose windows in the nave and transepts. The principal monuments in the church are an ancient statue of Richard Coeur de Lion, whose heart was buried here; the tomb of Cardinal George d'Amboise, who was Archbishop of Rouen; and that of the Duc de Brégy, husband of Diana of Poitiers. The church of St Ouen, though inferior to the cathedral in the number of its monuments and historical associations, is larger and more elegant, being one of the finest Gothic buildings in the world, and executed almost entirely on a single plan, though its erection extended over nearly two centuries from its foundation in 1318. It is cruciform, and has in the centre a very beautiful octagonal tower 260 feet high. The interior, which is 443 feet long and 106½ high, is chiefly remarkable for its light and graceful character, which is enhanced by the great size of the windows, which are all filled with painted glass. Another fine church is that of St Maclou, chiefly remarkable for its triple porch in the florid style of the fifteenth century. Many of the other churches possess much interest: those of St Godard, St Patrice, and St Vincent contain greatly-admired specimens of stained glass; and that of St Gervais, in one of the suburbs, is one of the oldest Christian churches in France. The town-hall, standing close to the church of St Ouen, is a fine building in the Italian style, containing, besides the public offices, a library of 33,000 volumes and 1200 MSS., and a museum of paintings, of which some are good and a great many bad. The museum of antiquities, which occupies a suppressed convent, is exceedingly interesting, especially for its rich collection of mediæval remains. A fine specimen of the Gothic architecture of the end of the fifteenth century is furnished by the Palais de Justice, which contains the hall of the ancient Parliament of Normandy. There are several public squares in Rouen, the most memorable of which is that called the Place de la Pucelle, containing an indifferent Roulers statue of Joan of Arc, on the spot where her wonderful and eventful career was brought to an end. The site of the old castle of Rouen is occupied by a building called the Halles, or covered markets, consisting of a series of large halls for the sale of various kinds of merchandise, forming three sides of a square. As a manufacturing town, Rouen ranks next to Lyons, and is the chief seat of the cotton manufacture in France. The factories are driven either by water or by steam-power. Dyeing, bleaching, and printing of woollen and cotton fabrics are also carried on. Besides these, there are manufactures of muslin, lace, hosiery, handkerchiefs, ropes, blankets, paper, sugar, soap, and many other articles; as well as tanneries, breweries, ship-building yards, copper and iron foundries. The town is very favourably situated for commercial purposes, as it is connected both by railway and by the river with Paris on the one hand, and Havre on the other. Vessels of 250 or 300 tons come up to the stone bridge, above which there are large boats to convey the cargoes to the capital. The number of vessels belonging to the port is more than 100. The number that entered with cargoes in 1854 was 681, tonnage 68,274; in 1855 the number was 1060, tonnage 108,852. Those that cleared with cargoes in the former year were 341, tonnage 34,288; in the latter 380, tonnage 38,288. The chief articles of trade are corn, flour, wine, brandy, cider, oil, salt provisions, colonial produce, and manufactured articles. Rouen is the seat of an archbishop, of a high court of justice, and other tribunals, and contains a mint, custom-house, two clerical seminaries, a school of medicine, college, and other schools, four hospitals, two theatres, and several banks. The town is of great antiquity, having been under the Romans the capital of the province of Lugdunensis Secunda. About the middle of the ninth century it was taken by the Normans, and from that time till their conquest of England was the capital and residence of their dukes. In 1204 Philip II. of France wrested the duchy with its capital from the feeble hands of King John, and annexed it to the French crown. But in 1419 Henry V. besieged and took the town, which remained in English hands till 1449. In 1562 the Huguenots took possession of Rouen, but the Duke of Guise recovered it in the same year; and in 1593 it was taken by Henri IV. The most celebrated native of Rouen was Pierre Corneille; Fontenelle and other men of note were also born here. Pop. (1856) 94,645.