Apologies for the long blog post today, but we had many wonderful sights at Reims despite missing some important sights. The Mueum of Surrender, where General Eisenhower accepted Germany’s surrender in 1945, and the Tau Palace, where the Cathedral treasures are stored, were both closed for renovations.
10.08 miles, partly cloudy, 52 degrees, humidity 92%.
Richard’s ReLive video includes views from his tower climb that I did not include in my post. You can get his video here: https://www.relive.com/view/v36A9r9J1G6
Besides the many historical sights, Reims is famous for champagne.
This 1st century Roman arch defined the street organization as early as the Middle Ages.
The first cathedral here was consecrated by Bishop St. Nicaise in 401. (He was martyred in 407 at the threshold of the cathedral.) This building was begun in 1211.
This is the smiling angel, just outside the entrance door.
Do you suppose she’s smiling because of the imp holding her up?
Pictures don’t do justice to show the inside height in this cathedral. The height under the ceiling is 38 meters.
The Great Rose window has been restored, but dates to the 13th c.
The North Rose window is also from the 13th c (the Creation) with the great organ below.
These blue windows by Marc Chagall in 1974 are in the axis chapel behind the main altar.
The left window focuses on the Old Testament and the tree of Jesse.
The middle window tells the story of Abraham and Christ. Christ on the cross is prominent on the right side.
The right panel shows the coronation of the kings of France.
The South Rose window (the Resurrection) is new, from 1937.
This floor tile marks the supposed spot where Clovis, King of the Franks, was baptized by St. Remi on Christmas in 496. Below, the baptism was immortalized in stone on the lower right corner of the north entrance.
Joan of Arc is represented in a chapel. She was present when King Charles VII was crowned here in 1429.
The cathedral and much of Reims was bombed and burned in 1914 during WWI. It took 20 years to rebuild and reconsecrate the cathedral.
The Basilica from the former Abbey of Saint Remi is about a mile away from the Cathedral but is also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
This stained glass window over the entrance shows a pattern of doves that represents the Holy Ampulla. As a Royal Abbey, the Royal Ampulla used to anoint the Kings of France was once kept here. The legend is that it was brought from Heaven by a dove for the coronation of Clovis.
The tomb of St. Remi (behind the altar) contains the statues of six clergy peers and six lay peers, from the 16th c.
This north Rose Window dates from the 17th c.
These modern stained glass windows are from a Reims glassmaker.
A picture of the WWI destruction of the Basilica.
The cloister shows how the a basilica and abbey are connected. Today the abbey houses the museum dealing with Prehistory to Renaissance for the area.
Another image of St. Remi baptizing Clovis, King of the Franks.
The life and miracles of St. Remi are depicted in 10 tapestries, made between 1523 and 1531. They are currently being restored, but seven tapestries have been finished and were displayed, while the other three are still in process.
The fourth tapestry shows the baptism of Clovis, a portion of which is shown here.
While Richard climbed the Cathedral tower, I visited the Carnegie Library from 1927, an art deco showpiece. American tycoon Andrew Carnegie contributed $200,000 to Reims as part of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, after its library was mostly destroyed in WWI.
The entry hall chandelier.
A staircase within the library.
A library reading room with art deco windows is well used.
A stained glass roof in the reading room represents an open book on which sits Reims’ coat of arms (fleur de lays and olive tree foliage.
Celebrating a wonderful day in Reims with galettes for dinner near the canal in Paris.
4 Responses
Wow, what spectacular churches you visited this day. Amazing that they were rebuilt from all of the destruction they endured. And what great views from the tower. Of course the best part of your day must have been the CREPES for dinner! Dan and Wendy
The churches were amazing (again) and the legend of Clovis was new to me and interesting. The galettes were okay, but we’ve had some other food that I’ve enjoyed more.
The photos of the destruction and rebuilding were incredible! (As are the idea of those crepes 😀)
It’s amazing how much history was destroyed in war. Rebuilding must have been incredibly expensive!