Rouen, capital of the northern French region of Normandy, is a port city on the river Seine. Important in the Roman era and Middle Ages, it has Gothic churches, such as Saint-Maclou and Saint-Ouen, and a cobble-stoned pedestrian center with medieval half-timbered houses. The skyline is dominated by the spires of Cathedral Notre-Dame, much-painted by Impressionist Claude Monet.