Rouen's claim to fame is that of being the town where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. Joan of Arc went from a simple and uneducated village girl to leader of France's armies. Such a story of feminine strength and empowerment! Even though the Hundred Years Wars between the English and the French continued for another 22 years after she died, her brief appearance on the timeline, her resounding military victories and her inspiring martyrdom gave to the French King Charles VII the psychological victory he needed to win hearts, minds and eventually all of France, for himself.
Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake in a small and smelly market square in Rouen on 31 May 1431. This market square is today called the Vieux Marché (i.e., Old Market). In the Vieux Marché, there is a beautiful building of half timber, wattle and daub. In the picture below, you can see the exposed wood frame that holds up the structure. The wattle is a lattice woven with strips of wood, hung onto the wood frame. Then, daub, a sticky material made of mud, dung, straw and clay is used to cover the wattle. When dried, the daub keeps out the cold and the wet. I saw this style of construction in Stratford Upon Avon when doing the tour of all Shakespeare related houses: see HERE.
It is hard to believe that a house essentially made of wood and mud can survive since the 15th century till today, but clearly Anne Hathaway's (Shakespeare's wife's) cottage is still going strong. The old part of Rouen is full of such constructions still with people living and working in them.
La Couronne is a restaurant that has been around since 1431. See picture above. The then owner, Mr. Guillaume Baudry could see Joan burning at the stake from out the windows of his property. Before the infamous martyrdom of Joan of Arc, La Couronne was a forgettable provincial inn. After the death of Joan of Arc, the little market square became infamous. As decades flowed into centuries, La Couronne became a veritable historical institution. La Couronne was where Julia Child ate her very first French meal, and fell in love.
With so much history to carry on its shoulders, it is no wonder that La Couronne serves up a very traditional French restaurant experience, from décor to food.
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