Saint Martin de Boscherville

In the Epilogue of his novel, Leroux explains that Erik was
born in a small village near Rouen but he didn't detail where
exactly.
According to Susan Kay's book, the mysterious village was
called Saint Martin de Boscherville.
Situated at West of Rouen and rounded by the huge Roumare
forest, this beautiful place owns one of the most
representative Romanesque Abbeys in France called Abbey
church of Saint-Georges de Boscherville.
Raoul, Lord of Tancarville and High Chamberlain of William,
Duke of Normandy, founded a collegiate church here around
1050, on the site of a small chapel, which had itself been built
on top of a succession of pagan temples (brought to light by
recent archaeological digs). He installed canons here, who
were themselves replaced by Benedictine monks in 1114.
Its construction started in that same year for this group of
monks from Saint-Evroult who were summoned to
Boscherville by Guillaume de Tancarville to establish a
Benedictine order. Undoubtedly finished around 1130, hardly
altered since then, the abbey-church is one of the best-
conserved examples of Norman architecture during the reign
of Henri 1 Beauclerc († 1135).
The abbey never housed more than forty monks, and the last
ones to live there were hounded from it during the English
Revolution.
The church is striking on account of the astonishing unity of
its Norman Romanesque architecture, not to mention its
simple portal and large nave with eight arcades. There is also
a very beautiful apse with capitals, including the famous
"minter's capital".
The chapter house, built in the late XIIth century, has a semi-
circular facade and a large number of capitals carved with
both Biblical and secular scenes.
Constructed in horizontal sections, the edifice is 66.30 metres
long and 19.90 metres wide, that is to say 20 feet by 60. Its
plan seems to have been directly inspired by that of Saint-
Evroul abbey-church, finished in 1099.
Outside, on the northern limit of the site, remain the vestiges
of the Tancarville residence which consisted in a large
reception room on the ground floor and above a private
apartment communicating with the Chamberlain's chapel of
the 13th : a private chapel, served by a chaplain independent
from the Abbey.
The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659 after the disasters
caused by religion wars regenerated monastic life.
They erected a large building, one aisle of which covered the
Chapter House (without damage), the opposite aisle
sheltering the library, as these monks were erudite.
The central part of this building is the only left. Restored, it
has recovered the splendour of its remarkable two-colour
stone ceilings. This building, erected between 1690 and 1694
in the classical style was edged by the gardens commenced in
1680.
Susan Kay wrote how little Erik ran away from home some
nights only to see this Abbey and play secretly in its golden
organ.

Here are some photos of Saint Martin de Boscherville village
and its Abbey (Please, don't copy this text and photos without my
permission) :
Roumare forest, where Erik got
lost when he was a child running
away from his home (Susan Kay's
story).
Summers 2006 and 2007 I've been in this wonderful little village.
Next photos are made by myself, please, don't take them without my
permission.