The Reims Cathedral

Cathedrals and churches are omnipresent in Europe. Every city you visit typically has at least one to visit. Sometimes we go in, sometimes we don’t, and they often start to blend together. Thus, it is unusual for us to post about a cathedral. But the one in Reims was so compelling that we wanted to share a few tidbits.

First, the cathedral dominates the city skyline. Because you can see it from nearly everywhere, including where we stayed, it draws you in.

Second, the city projects a light show onto the cathedral at night during the summer that is mesmerizing. What a cool concept to be able to stand outside of a monument that has hosted numerous coronations and watch an amazing display of the building’s history creatively conveyed with lights and music. Here are a few photos of the show:

We caught the show on the way back from our first Women’s World Cup soccer game, so we missed the first few minutes and I couldn’t get any spectator-free shots, but I hope these convey the uniqueness of the show, which increased our desire to see the inside of the building.

Third, the cathedral has an incredible history. Around the year 498, Clovis, the first French King, was baptized at the cathedral’s location by Saint Remi, which created the kingdom of the Franks and linked the power of the kings of France to God. The cathedral then hosted the coronations of all but seven French kings over a thousand years, including Louis IX (later Saint Louis), XIII, XIV, and XVI.

Fourth, the cathedral is impressive inside and out. It was built between 1211 and 1516 in the Gothic style, with various efforts to expand, improve, and upgrade extending through the centuries. Because the church was built after Paris’s Notre Dame, the builders took advantage of the myriad improvements in construction techniques that came with time. The cathedral’s stained-glass windows are impressive as are its wide aisles:

The rose window seen in the first picture had to be replaced after WWI, although a few other windows were either spared or preserved. The multi-colored windows depict the life and activities of the local community, including the champagne industry. And the blue windows may look familiar to some for good reason – they are the work of Marc Chagall, who designed them in 1974.

Finally, the cathedral’s history extends into the 20^th century. In WWI the cathedral suffered extensive damage from German bombing, being that it was located so close to the front and was an  obvious target. In fact, most of Reims was destroyed. The cathedral was rebuilt in large part due to the largesse of the Rockefeller Foundation. In WWII, much less damage was done to Reims, but it was an important place in the history of the war because on May 7, 1945, the allies signed the treaty to end WWII in the city in the school room where General Eisenhower had set up his headquarters. And on July 8, 1962, President Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer celebrated the Franco-German reconciliation in the presence of the Archbishop of Reims at the cathedral. That’s a lot of history!

As cathedrals go, this one is worthy of a visit.

Au revoir,

Shana & Jeff