Rouen No. 2

A "piscine baptismale" of the 13th century in this church is listed in Palissy [ref.: PM76001345] without further details. The object appears to be located in the Chapelle Saint Joseph, in the southeast transept; it is in a double arch excavated in the wall, at a height that appears to be about three feet; not what one would expect from a "piscine baptismale"; it looks like a double lavabo. Also in Palissy [ref.: PM76002051] is listed a font of the 17th century here ["17e siècle (?) [...] Anciennement décrits comme étant en marbre [...] Semblent postérieurs au 17e siècle."]. The present font is noted and illustrated in Descubes (2012). This source also notes that the previous font, mentioned in the 'Bulletin des Amis des monuments rouennais', was a stone font designed by Auvray [Louis Auvray (1810-1890)?]. The present baptismal font is of octagonal shape all over, the lower half, which corresponds roughly to the base, being slightly wider than the upper, the basin; below a protruding moulding at the upper rim is an arcade of trefoiled arches with rosettes in the spandrels; around the lower part of the arches is a moulding with a simple interlace below; the base is moulded and has a row of rosettes, three per side, all around. The metal font cover, dated to the 20th century in the Cathedral's web site [www.cathedrale-rouen.net/patrimoine/visites/plaquette/visite.htm] [accessed 3 June 2009], and also by Marrou, consists of a dome of open-work in cast iron, operated sideways by a swing-crane of the same material . There is an additional flat wooden octagonal cover, but it appears to be part of the metal structure. A communication to BSI from Pol Herman (e-mail of 9 June 2023) conveyed comments from Dr. Alain Vanderhoeven about a possible Early Christian baptistery: Searching for a trace of an early baptistery at the episcopal church of Tongeren (Dioecesis Tungrensis, probably from the year 280 to 384), the art historian Alain Vanderhoeven wrote me the following : "I am only aware of one other combination of a late Roman basilica and a bath building against the west facade of a bishop's church: the site of la Cour d'Albane in Rouen (image 2). This is certainly an early Episcopal Church. I read that a basilica was erected on the site of the present cathedral of Rouen by the bishop Victricius around 395/396. In annexed document, there is very little information about “a baptistery” at Rouen." [NB: the 'annexed document referred to above is Jacques Le Maho's Les fouilles de la cathédrale de Rouen de 1985 à 1993. Esquisse d'un premier bilan. In: Archéologie médiévale, tome 24, 1994. pp. 1-49; doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/arcme.1994.1044 [https://www.persee.fr/doc/arcme_0153-9337_1994_num_24_1_1044 ] [accessed 5 January 2024] -- interestingly Le Maho describes archaeologival evidence found of water access, channelling and circulation related to a building but it referred in the source as 'balneaire', not a baptistery].