The church of St-Ouen, next to the Hôtel de Ville (which itself occupies buildings that were once part of the abbey), is larger than the cathedral and has far less decoration, so from the outside there's nothing to diminish the instant impact of its vast Gothic proportions and the purity of its lines. Inside, it holds some stunning fourteenth-century stained glass, though much was destroyed during the Revolution (mid-March to Oct daily except Tues 10am–12.30pm & 2–6pm; mid-Jan to mid-March & Nov to mid-Dec Wed, Sat & Sun 10am–12.30pm & 2–4.30pm; closed mid-Dec to mid-Jan). The world that produced it – and, nearer the end of the era, the light and grace of the church of St-Maclou not far to the south – was one of mass death from the plague: thus the Aître St-Maclou immediately to the east, a cemetery for the victims, was an integral part of the St-Maclou complex (daily 8am–8pm; entrance between 184 & 186 rue Martainville; free). It's now the tranquil garden courtyard of the Fine Arts school, but if you examine the one open lower storey of the surrounding buildings you'll discover the original deathly decorations and a mummified cat. In the square outside are several good antique bookshops, and a few art shops.North past the Hôtel de Ville, the Musée des Antiquités, which occupies a seventeenth-century convent on rue Beauvoisine (Mon & Wed–Sat 10am–12.15pm & 1.30–5.30pm, Sun 2–6pm; 3), is also worth a look: its tapestries and Medieval collection are particularly good. The rue Eau de Robec, which runs east from rue Damiette just south of St-Ouen, was described by one of Flaubert's characters in an earlier age as a "degraded little Venice". It's now a textbook example of how Rouen has been restored. Where once a shallow stream flowed beneath the raised doorsteps of venerable half-timbered houses, a thin trickle now makes its way along a stylized cement bed crossed by concrete walkways. In a fine old mansion at no. 185, the Musée National de l'Éducation (Mon & Wed–Fri 10am–12.30pm & 1.30–6pm, Sat & Sun 2–6pm; 3) tells the story of the last five centuries of schooling in France, with photos, paintings, ancient textbooks and a mocked-up schoolroom. Unless you read French well, however, it's unlikely to hold your interest.
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