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56-426: The cathedral church is thought to have been founded by the bishop Nicasius in the early 5th century. Clovis was baptized a Christian here by Saint Remigius , the bishop of Reims, about a century later. He was the first Frankish king to receive this sacrament. Construction of the present Reims Cathedral began in the 13th century and concluded in the 14th century. A prominent example of High Gothic architecture, it

112-494: A labyrinth and master masons adds weight to the argument that such patterns were an allusion to the emerging status of the architect (through their association with the mythical architect Daedalus , who built the Cretan labyrinth of Minos ). The cathedral also contains further evidence of the rising status of the architect in the tomb of Hugues Libergier (d. 1268, architect of the now-destroyed Reims church of St-Nicaise). Not only

168-437: A mix between Classic Gothic and High Gothic . In the rose windows of the western façade, however, the glass exceeds the round frames to fill the whole pointed-arched areas available (i.e. Rayonnant , an advanced form of High Gothic). Unusually, the names of the cathedral's successive architects, succeededing each other until the completion of the cathedral's structural work in 1275, are known. A labyrinth built into floor of

224-402: A similar plan to the north transept, but lacks portals. Instead, there is a group of three narrow lancet windows divided by slender columns and topped by small rose windows, and above them a large rose window. The original south rose window was destroyed by a hurricane in 1580, and was replaced by a window with a simpler design of tracery. The upper gallery of statues underwent major restoration in

280-456: A time into a Temple of Reason . Most of the remaining furniture and funeral monuments were destroyed, the reliquaries in the treasury melted down for the gold, and the bells melted down to make cannon. Mobs hammered much of the sculpture of the grand portal and the more evident symbols of royalty, such as the fleur-de-lis emblems, and the royal Hand of Justice were burned. However, most of the medieval sculpture survived relatively intact. With

336-476: A triangular pigeon with a sculptural depiction of the Annunciation . The pignon is decorated with crockets and other elaborate ornament that became characteristic of the late Gothic Flamboyant style. The north transept is flanked by two tall buttresses, which are crowned by slender tabernacles containing statues of kings, covered with spires decorated with more late Gothic crockets. The south transept has

392-605: A unique value as giving us the only tolerably full account by a contemporary of the memorable revolution of 987, which placed the Capets on the throne of France . The Historiae , in four books, spans the period from 888 to 995. It begins with Charles the Fat and Eudes , and goes down to the year 995. For the first two books, Richerus made extensive use of the annals and church history written by Flodoard (d. 966). From 969 onwards Richerus had no earlier history before him, and his work

448-426: Is he given the honour of an engraved slab; he is shown holding a miniature model of his church (an honour formerly reserved for noble donors) and wearing the academic garb befitting an intellectual. Even after the structural work had been completed in 1275, a lot of work remained to be done. The Gallery of Kings on the west front, and the octagonal upper towers were not finished until the 1460s. Documentary records show

504-492: Is memorialized at Reims Cathedral with two statues: an equestrian statue outside the church and another within the church. On 24 July 1481, a fire caused by the negligence of workers covering the high wood-and-lead flèche (spire) that was being constructed over the transept destroyed the part of the spire's framework, the cathedral's central bell tower, and the galleries at the base of the cathedral roof, while dripping molten roofing lead caused further damage. However, recovery

560-461: Is still in the same place, directly over the crypt, where it has been for 15 centuries. Beginning in 976, the archbishop Adalbero began to enlarge the Carolingian cathedral. The historian Richerus , a pupil of Adalbero, gives a very precise description of the work carried out by the archbishop: "He completely destroyed the arcades which, extending from the entrance to nearly a quarter of

616-484: Is the gallery of kings, composed of 56 statues with a height of 4.5 m (15 ft), with Clovis I, the first Christian king of the Franks, in the center, Clotilde to his right, and Saint Remigius to his left. The two bell towers were originally planned to have spires making them three times taller than the nave, but these were never rebuilt. The three portals contain an elaborate sculptural program that illustrates to

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672-636: The Apocalypse of John , the only major Gothic cathedral to combine these two themes. The figure of Christ passing judgement is placed under the gable over the top of the portal, with angels carrying symbols of the Passion of Christ . Other figures represent the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse , as well as a multitude of angels, and allegorical symbols of the vices and virtues. The sculpture of

728-576: The Imperial German Army deliberately shelled the cathedral in order to shake French morale. The cathedral, former Abbey of Saint-Remi , and the Palace of Tau were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1991. On his 74th Pastoral Visit , Pope John Paul II visited Reims on 26 September 1996 for the 1500th anniversary of the baptism of Clovis. While there, the Pope prayed at

784-589: The XII Saxon corps arrived at the city and later that day the Imperial German Army began shelling the city. The guns, located 7 km (4.3 mi) away in Les Mesneux , ceased firing when the XII Saxon Corps sent two officers and a city employee to ask them to stop shelling the city. On 12 September, the occupying German Army decided to place their wounded in the cathedral over the protests of

840-515: The nave at the time of construction or shortly after (similar to examples at Chartres and Amiens ) included the names of these four master masons ( Jean d'Orbais , Jean-le-Loup, Gaucher of Reims and Bernard de Soissons ) and the number of years they worked there, though art historians still disagree over who was responsible for which parts of the building. The labyrinth itself was destroyed in 1779, but its details and inscriptions are known from 18th-century drawings. The clear association here between

896-400: The "forest" of wooden timbers under the lead-covered roof, setting it on fire, and completely destroying the roof. The bells melted, windows were blown out, and the sculpture and parts of the walls were damaged. The lead in the roofing melted and poured through the mouths of the stone gargoyles , damaging, in turn, the adjoining bishop's palace. Images of the cathedral in ruins were shown during

952-882: The 19th century. The triangular pignon at the top is in the Flamboyant style, with sculpture depicting the Assumption of the Virgin . At the peak of the pignon is a statue of a Sagittarius , an ancient Roman archer, with his bow. Nicasius of Rheims Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 555156720 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:52:26 GMT Richerus Richerus or Richer of Reims ( fl. 10th century)

1008-481: The Abbe Maurice Landrieux, and spread 15,000 bales of straw on the floor of the cathedral for this purpose. The next day French soldiers under General Franchet d'Esperey re-entered the city, but German wounded were left in the cathedral. Six days later, a shell exploded in the bishop's palace, killing three and injuring 15. On 18 September a prolonged bombardment began and on the 19th shells struck

1064-699: The Catholic church has an agreement for its exclusive use. The French state pays for its restoration and upkeep. The settlement of a tribe of Gauls called the Remes, named Durocortorum, had been recorded by Julius Caesar in his accounts of the Gallic Wars . During the High Roman Empire, it became the capital of a province extending to the delta of the Rhine , and in the 3rd century A.D. was capital of

1120-696: The King of the Franks , was baptised there in about 496 A.D. by Saint Remigius (also known as Saint Remi ). This was the event that inspired the long tradition of royal coronations at Reims. In 816, Louis the Pious , the King of the Franks and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire , was crowned in Reims by Pope Stephen IV . The coronation and ensuing celebrations revealed the poor condition and inadequate size of

1176-657: The Roman province known as Second Belgium. The first Christian church there was founded by the first bishop, Saint Sixtus of Reims between 250 and 300. At the beginning of the 5th century, in the Merovingian period, the Bishop Nicasius transferred the cathedral its present location, the site formerly occupied by Gallo-Roman bath built by the Emperor Constantine . The new church was dedicated to

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1232-624: The Virgin Mary, anticipating the decision of the Council of Ephesus in 431 establishing her enhanced status. The new cathedral, with the plan of a square exterior and a circular interior, measured approximately 20 m (66 ft) by 55 m (180 ft). In the 1990s, the Baptistry of this original Merovingian church, directly under the present cathedral, was excavated and fragments of the old structure were brought to light. Clovis I ,

1288-532: The acquisition of land to the west of the site in 1218, suggesting the new cathedral was substantially larger than its predecessors, the lengthening of the nave presumably being an adaptation to afford room for the crowds that attended the coronations. The towers, 81 m (266 ft) tall, were originally designed to rise 120 m (390 ft). The south tower holds just two great bells; one of them, named "Charlotte" by Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine in 1570, weighs more than 10,000 kg (10 t). Following

1344-523: The basilica, up to the top, so that the whole church, embellished, acquired more extent and a more suitable form (...). He decorated the main altar of the golden cross and enveloped it with a resplendent trellis (...). He lit up the same church with windows in which various stories were represented and endowed it with bells roaring like thunder." The prestige of the Holy Ampulla , the sacred vial filled with myrrh with which French Kings were anointed,

1400-521: The cathedral While conducting the Council of Reims in 1131, Pope Innocent II anointed and crowned Louis VII , the son of the ruling king Louis VI in the cathedral. By the 12th century, the Carolingian cathedral was considered too small for the ambitions of the Archbishop, Samson of Mauvoisin (1140-1160). He preserved the existing nave and transept but rebuilt and enlarged the two ends of

1456-624: The cathedral entrance and with Louis Leygue copied many of the other sculptures on the cathedral façade. He also executed a statue of St Thomas for the north tower. Beginning in 1967, many of the statues from the exterior, such as the smiling angel, were moved to the interior of the Tau Palace for protection, and replaced by copies. The Franco-German reconciliation was symbolically formalized in July 1962 by French president Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer , where, in 1914,

1512-494: The cathedral. Between 1741 and 1749, the lower windows and the medieval furniture, the principal altar, the choir stalls, and the choir screen were all replaced with furnishings more in keeping with the theological requirements and taste of the era. The sculpture of the portals was also restored. In 1793, during the French Revolution , the cathedral was closed and briefly turned into a storehouse for grain, and then for

1568-485: The cathedral. He demolished the west front and adjoining tower in order to build two matching flanking towers, in imitation of the Royal Abbey of Saint Denis outside of Paris , whose choir dedication Samson himself had attended a few years earlier. The new church was longer than the old cathedral, 110 m (360 ft). On the east end, he created a larger choir and a disambulatory and ring of radiating chapels. At

1624-642: The control of his uncles. After Henry V of England defeated Charles VI 's army at the Battle of Agincourt on 25 October 1415, most of northern France including Reims fell to the English. They held Reims and the cathedral until 1429, when it was captured by Joan of Arc , allowing the dauphin Charles to be crowned king on 17 July 1429. For her feat -- a turning point in the Hundred Years' War -- Joan

1680-401: The death of the infant King John I , his uncle Philip was hurriedly crowned at Reims, 9 January 1317. During the Hundred Years' War 's Reims campaign the city was under siege by the English from 1359 to 1360, but the siege failed. In 1380, Reims Cathedral was the location of Charles VI 's coronation and eight years later Charles called a council at Reims in 1388 to take personal rule from

1736-528: The early cathedral. Beginning in about 818, the archbishop Ebbo and the royal architect Rumaud began to build a much larger church from the ground up on the same site, using stone from the old city ramparts. The work was interrupted in 835, and then resumed under a new archbishop, Hincmar , with the support of Emperor Charles the Bald . The interior of the church was adorned with gilding , mosaics , paintings , sculptures and tapestries . On 18 October 862, in

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1792-519: The end of the century, the nave and the transept were still of the Carolingian style while the apse and façade were in the Early Gothic style. On 6 May 1210, the partly Carolingian and partly Early Gothic cathedral was destroyed by fire, allegedly due to "carelessness." One year to the day afterwards, archbishop Aubrey laid the first stone of the new cathedral's chevet . The work on the new cathedral moved with exceptional speed, because Reims

1848-613: The fact that Clovis I had been baptised there, and the political power of the archbishop of Reims led to Reims becoming the regular site of the coronation of the French monarch , a tradition that was established with the coronation of Henry I of France in 1027. All but seven of France's future kings -- Hugh Capet , Robert II , Louis VI , John I , Henry IV , Louis XVIII , and Louis Philippe I -- were crowned at Reims. The cathedral hosted other royal ceremonies as well. On 19 May 1051, Henry I of France and Anne of Kiev were married in

1904-478: The galleries of the nave in a more imaginative 13th-century Gothic style. In 1888. they were followed by Denis Darcy and Paul Gout, who followed more closely the historic architecture, particularly in the restoration of the west rose window. On the outbreak of the First World War, the cathedral was commissioned as a hospital, and troops and arms were removed from its immediate vicinity. On 4 September 1914,

1960-588: The illiterate churchgoers the messages of the Bible. The central portal is devoted to the Virgin Mary , the patron of the cathedral. The principal scene under the gable of the top of the portal shows the symbolic marriage of Christ with his church, represented by Mary. Mary is also the figure on the statue-column in the centre of the doorway. The statuary of the south portal depicts the Last Judgement and

2016-459: The later 19th century, focusing first on the gables and statues on the west front (1826–30), and then the upper galleries, windows and towers (1845–60), under Jean-Jacques Arveuf . In 1860 He was replaced by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc , who modified the gallery of the choir and the apse closer to their original medieval appearance. He was succeeded by two more architects, Eugene Millet and Victor Ruprich-Robert , who took considerable liberties in remaking

2072-582: The medical manuscripts there. He was still living in 998, but there is no mention of him after that date. In the 19th century, it was thought by both French and German scholars that Richerus was an ardent supporter of the Carolingians and French supremacy, as opposed to the Ottonians , but this view has since been tempered somewhat. Whatever one makes of Richer's political biases, inaccuracies and his taste for stylistic embellishment, his Historiae has

2128-496: The members of the Chapter were able to meet in the choir, showing that the vaults of the apse and the five last traverses of the nave on the east, where the stalls were located, were finished, but the nave was not roofed until 1299 (when the French king lifted the tax on lead used for that purpose). Work on the western façade did even not begin until 1252, and the portals were not completed until after 1260. Thereafter work moved from

2184-483: The nave were completed in 1505. These were so expensive that the remaining planned projects, including a 170 meter tall bell tower over the transept, spires on the west front and the planned upper towers flanking the transept, were never built. Following the death of Francis I , Henry II was crowned King of France on 25 July 1547 in Reims Cathedral. The 18th century saw the first major reconstruction inside

2240-688: The north portal depicts the Crucifixion of Christ , which is shown under the gable at the top of the portal; other scenes show the Resurrection , and the Ascension of Jesus to heaven. To the left of the north portal is one of the most recognisable of all the sculptures of Reims, the Smiling Angel , Gabriel, with Mary, on the north side. The angel was damaged during the First World War, but repaired and returned to its place. Fire destroyed

2296-405: The original roof and the spires in 1481: of the four towers that flanked the transepts, nothing remains above the height of the roof. The southwest tower contains the massive bourdon, a bell 2.46 meters in diameter, and weighing ten tons, given to the cathedral in 1570 by the cardinal Charles of Lorraine; it also contains the second bourdon, weighing seven tons, and 2.2 meters in diameter. This bell

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2352-500: The presence of the Emperor, Hincmar dedicated the new church, which measured 86 m (282 ft) and had two transepts . At the beginning of the 10th century, an ancient crypt underneath the original church was rediscovered. Under the archbishop Heriveus , the crypt (which had been the initial centre of the previous churches above it) was cleared, renovated, and then rededicated to the sainted bishop Remigius. The cathedral altar

2408-705: The restoration of the French monarchy after the downfall of Napoleon, the practice of royal coronations at Reims resumed, but only briefly. The last king of France to be crowned there was Charles X in 1825. His reign was deeply unpopular, and he was overthrown in the Revolution of 1830 and replaced by a constitutional monarch, Louis Philippe I , who was sworn in at the Parliament in Paris rather than crowned in Reims. A series of restoration projects were carried out in

2464-404: The resulting violence and the entire cathedral chapter fled the city, leaving it under an interdict (effectively banning all public worship and sacraments). Work on the new cathedral was suspended for three years, only resuming in 1236 after the clergy returned to the city and the interdict was lifted following mediation by the king and the pope. Construction then continued more slowly. In 1241,

2520-425: The same chapel where Jean-Baptiste de La Salle celebrated his first Mass in 1678. On 8 October 2016, a plaque bearing the names of the 31 kings crowned in Reims was placed in the cathedral in the presence of the archbishop Thierry Jordan and Prince Louis-Alphonse, Duke of Anjou , one of many pretenders to the French throne. The west façade, the entry to the cathedral, particularly glorifies royalty. Most of it

2576-481: The structure. In the 1920s, the foundations of the earlier church from the Carolingian period were discovered under the cathedral and excavated. The work was completed and the cathedral was reopened in 1938. Restoration work on the church has continued since 1938, repairing the damage caused by the war and by pollution. In 1955 Georges Saupique made a copy of the Coronation of the Virgin, which can be seen above

2632-401: The use of bar tracery , with the panes of stained glass separated by thin stone mullions . Twelve stone mullions radiate outward from a central eye. This became a major characteristic of Rayonnant Gothic architecture. Above this window an arch full of sculpture, and above the continuation of the gallery of kings from the west façade, with seven statues of apostles and prophets. At the top is

2688-457: The war by the indignant French, accusing the Germans of the deliberate destruction of buildings rich in national and cultural heritage, while German propaganda blamed the deaths of prisoners on the French, who at gunpoint prevented them fleeing the fire. Single shells continued to strike the ruined building for several years, despite repeated pleas by Pope Benedict XV . At the end of the war, it

2744-426: The west to the east, with the completion of the nave; the level of the rose windows was completed between 1275 and 1280. The roof of the nave and upper galleries were finished in 1299. A comparison of the roses of the western façade to the roses of the transepts demonstrates the temporal stylistic progress: the rose windows of the transepts are decorated by bar tracery, but all glass is inside the round frames -- that is,

2800-458: Was a monk of Saint-Remi, just outside Reims , and a historian, an important source for the contemporary kingdom of France . He was a son of Rodulf, a trusted councillor and captain of Louis IV of France (r. 936-954). He studied at Reims under Gerbert , afterwards Pope Silvester II , who taught him mathematics, history, letters and eloquence. He was also well versed in the medical science of his time, and in 991 travelled to Chartres to consult

2856-406: Was built to replace an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1210. Although little damaged during the French Revolution , the present cathedral saw extensive restoration in the 19th century. It was severely damaged during World War I and the church was again restored in the 20th century. Since the 1905 law on the separation of church and state, the cathedral has been owned by the French state, while

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2912-477: Was completed at the same time, giving it an unusual unity of style. It is harmonic or balanced, with two towers of equal height and three portals entering into the nave. The porches of the portals, with archivolts containing many sculptures, protrude from the main wall. Above and slightly behind the central portal is a large rose window at the level of the clerestory, with tall arched windows flanked by statuary under pointed canopies projected forward. Above this level

2968-404: Was made in 1849. The north transept, like the west façade, has three portals surrounded by sculpture. They are dedicated to the Virgin Mary (left); Christian saints (centre) and the Last Judgement (right). Above and set back from the portals are three small rose windows, and then a large rose window covered with an arcade full of sculpture. The north rose window is one of the earliest examples of

3024-506: Was one of the first buildings to use stones and other materials of standardised sizes, so each stone did not have to be cut to measure. In July 1221, the chapel at the east end of the cathedral entered use. In 1230, work began on the west front, indicating that the nave was nearly complete. In 1233, a long-running dispute between the cathedral chapter and the townsfolk (regarding issues of taxation and legal jurisdiction) boiled over into open revolt. Several clerics were killed or injured during

3080-519: Was proposed to keep the cathedral in its damaged state as a monument to victims of the war, but this idea was finally rejected. A major restoration project began in 1919, led by Henri Deneux, chief architect of the service of French historic monuments. The restoration received major funding from the Rockefeller Foundation , and sometimes made use of modern techniques and materials, including prefabricated reinforced concrete, to strengthen

3136-456: Was quick with kings Charles VIII and Louis XII making donations to the cathedral's reconstruction. In particular, they granted the cathedral an octroi of the Gabelle salt tax. In gratitude, the new roof was adorned by fleur-de-lis and the royal coat of arms "affixed to the top of the façade". However, this work was suspended before the arrows were completed in 1516. The upper galleries of

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