Musée Le Secq des Tournelles

Who knew Rouen had so many churches? Shocking, right? And each one has a different story to tell about the city. The church of Saint-Laurent is a prime example. Dating back to the 11th century, it has had quite a tumultuous history. It burned down in 1248 and took two centuries to rebuild. Then, in 1520, its bell tower collapsed. And as if that weren’t enough, while they were restoring it, its spire collapsed due to a storm and then a hurricane between 1638 and 1683. By 1791, after years of bad luck, the parish was dissolved and the church was abandoned altogether. So, that was that. The building was then transformed into a shed and a stable, and it was almost demolished in 1891 to make way for apartments. Luckily, that plan was scrapped. After all that, the church got a new lease on life. It was restored in 1911 and classified as a historical monument in 1914. Since 1921, it has housed the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, dedicated to wrought iron art. The museum is the brainchild of Henri Le Secq, a French painter, engraver, photographer and collector. He was on a mission to photograph historical monuments, and while doing that, he also collected and saved the beautiful ironwork the French architect Eugène Haussmann had planned to destroy. This was the beginning of an impressive collection of ironwork, said to be the largest in the world. His son carried on the work, and today, the museum is home to some 14,000 pieces dating from Gallo-Roman times to the 19th century. You’ll find everything from railings and banisters to jewelry, locks, signs and sewing items! This place truly showcases Normandy’s renowned ironworking skills, so deeply rooted in the region’s history due to its rich mineral deposits. It’s too good an opportunity to miss! Plus, admission is free!