Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral

Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral, in the Marne, in the Grand Est region, is one of the great achievements of Gothic art in France. Its first stone was laid on 6 May 1211, after fire destroyed the previous building, and the main structure was essentially complete by the end of the 13th century. From 1027 to 1825, almost all the kings of France were crowned here.

Fifteen centuries in the same place

A first cathedral was founded at the beginning of the 5th century, probably around 401, on the site of former Roman baths. It was there that Bishop Remi baptised Clovis, on a 25 December, on a date between 496 and 499. A Carolingian cathedral, then a partly Gothic building, followed one another around the same crypt, so the altar has not moved in over fifteen centuries. From Henri I, in 1027, Reims became the place of coronation. That of Charles VII, in 1429, secured through the tenacity of Joan of Arc, reversed the course of the Hundred Years' War; a statue of the saint stands on the forecourt. The last, that of Charles X, took place in 1825.

The martyred cathedral

On 19 September 1914, twenty-five German shells struck the building. Scaffolding on the north tower caught fire, the straw stored in the nave, then used as a hospital, spread the blaze, the roof framework collapsed and molten lead ran out through the gargoyles. The emotion was immense across the country. Restoration, carried out from 1919 by the Reims architect Henri Deneux with the help of American patrons, replaced the oak framework with a lightweight reinforced concrete structure. In July 1962, Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer came beneath its vaults to seal the Franco-German reconciliation.

What to see

The cathedral has 2,303 statues. On the north portal of the façade, the Smiling Angel has become the emblem of the city. The central portal, a rare feature, honours the Virgin rather than Christ. Fifty metres above the ground, the Gallery of Kings lines up 56 statues, each 4.5 metres tall, around the baptism of Clovis. Inside, the axial chapel holds three stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall made in 1974, and windows by Imi Knoebel were installed in 2011. Since 1991, the building has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.

An energy site rich in history

The Cathedral of the Coronations, Notre-Dame de Reims is also a name that comes up often among enthusiasts of energy sites. The site's history plays a big part: some thirty royal coronations took place beneath these vaults. A labyrinth once decorated the nave floor; destroyed in 1779, it now serves as the logo of historic monuments. Did your visit leave an impression? Tell us in a few words in the comments.