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Reims cathedral

Reims Cathedral
Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Reims
Notre-Dame de Reims
Reims Kathedrale.jpg
49°15′13″N 4°2′3″E / 49.25361°N 4.03417°E / 49.25361; 4.03417Coordinates: 49°15′13″N 4°2′3″E / 49.25361°N 4.03417°E / 49.25361; 4.03417
Location 3 rue Guillaume de Machault
Reims
Country France
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website www.cathedrale-reims.com
History
Dedication Our Lady of Reims
Architecture
Status Cathedral
Functional status Active
Architectural type Church
Style French Gothic
Groundbreaking 1211 (1211)
Completed 1275 (1275)
Specifications
Length 149.17 m
Floor area 6,650 square meters
Number of towers 2
Tower height 81 metres (266 ft)
Bells 2 (in south tower)
Administration
Parish Notre Dame
Archdiocese Reims
Clergy
Archbishop Thierry Jordan
Priest in charge Jean-Pierre Laurent
Official name: Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii, vi
Designated 1991
Reference no. 601
State Party France
Region Europe and North America
Session 15th
Official name: Cathédrale Notre-Dame
Designated 1862, 1920

Notre-Dame de Reims (Our Lady of Reims) is the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims, where the kings of France were crowned. The cathedral replaced an older church, destroyed by fire in 1211, that was built on the site of the basilica where Clovis was baptized by Saint Remi, bishop of Reims, in AD 496. That original structure had itself been erected on the site of some Roman baths. A major tourism destination, the cathedral receives about one million visitors annually.

Excavations have shown that the present building occupies roughly the same site as the original cathedral, founded c.400 under the episcopacy of St Nicaise. That church was rebuilt during the Carolingian period and further extended in the 12th century. On 19 May 1051, King Henry I of France and Anne of Kiev were married in the cathedral. Whilst conducting the Council of Reims in 1131, Pope Innocent II anointed and crowned the future Louis VII in the cathedral.

On May 6, 1210 the cathedral was damaged by fire and reconstruction started shortly after, beginning at the eastern end. Documentary records show 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. 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 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. The area from the crossing eastwards was in use by 1241 but the nave was not roofed until 1299 (when the French King lifted the tax on lead used for that purpose). Work on the west facade took place in several phases, which is reflected in the very different styles of some of the sculptures. The upper parts of the facade were completed in the 14th century, but apparently following 13th century designs, giving Reims an unusual unity of style.


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