Saint-Gervais was perhaps after the virgin, the first person to whom an
altar was erected in Rouen. Neither Pommeraye, Farin,
Toussaint-Duplessis, nor several other modern writers, have spoken of
the origin of this church; the following is a sketch of it.
In 386, saint Victrice, then archbishop of Rouen, received from
Saint-Ambroise a box of relics, amongst which were the remains of
Saint-Gervais. Saint-Victrice caused a church to be erected in which
were to be deposited those venerable remains. The archbishop tells us
that he worked with his own hands, and that he even helped to carry the
stones on his shoulders. Should not the temple where the remains of
Saint-Gervais had been deposited, have been named after this martyr? Was
it natural to give another name? Certainly not; and we may conclude
therefore that the present church of Saint-Gervais has been erected on
the ground where that formerly stood, which Saint-Victrice had caused to
be built; and which afterwards was raised into an abbey, and is at the
present time a chapel of ease. The church of Saint-Gervais suffered
considerably during the religious contests: in the year 1591, it was
almost destroyed. At that time the royal army had taken possession of it
and had established a battery near to it, which caused great havoc in
the town of Rouen, this army was commanded by the Marquis de Villars,
for the league.
Strangers should not forget to visit an extremely curious ancient
monument, the crypt of Saint-Gervais. It is immediately under the choir
of the church. The descent is by a stair-case composed of twenty eight
stone steps. The length of this subterranean chapel is thirty five feet,
by sixteen in breadth and fifteen in height. The two first archbishops
of Rouen, saint Mellon and saint Avitien, are buried under the two
arcades, which we perceive on the right and left at the foot of the
stair-case. These arcades had been walled up at the time of the
religions troubles; in 1723, they were opened again. The monument of
saint Mellon is that to the left on entering. We here discover the only
vestiges of roman architecture, which are to be found in this town. The
roman road, which existed sixteen centuries ago, between the ancient
_Rothomagus_ and _Juliobona_, passed close to this church.
William the Conqueror, when mortally wounded by the pummel of his
saddle, on his way to Paris, caused himself to be carried to the priory
of Saint-Gervais, where he died on the 9th of september 1087.