Visit the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims
A building that glows
Reims Cathedral is recognised worldwide as one of the defining models of Gothic art.
Admire the countless statues under the cathedral glow! No wonder this monument was classed by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1991...
What gives this building its particular character? Its central role played in the history of France for 800 years.
Reims Cathedral is where the kings of France were crowned. The cathedral hosted thirty-three sovereign coronations in just over 1000 years!
The cathedral also hosted the baptism of Clovis around the year 498, and so kingdom of the Franks was born. This made Reims the chosen city to crown kings.
A technical masterpiece
It was also at Reims in 1962 that the Franco-German reconciliation was made official. A mass at the Cathedral in the presence of General De Gaulle and German Chancellor Adenauer laid the foundations of European reconstruction.
From an architectural perspective, the cathedral of Reims is exquisite because it demonstrates the mastery of the most innovative of thirteenth century techniques.
Admire the harmony of its proportions and the purity of its lines, giving a unique character to this masterpiece of religious architecture, 150 meters long, with towers rising 80 meters above the roof.
The buttresses in Reims are also beautiful decorative features symbolising the cathedral's elegance. Thanks to these arches supporting the structure of the building, wider openings have been built, allowing the light to pass through the beautiful stained glass windows.
The illuminated cathedral became a true light showcase, as was intended by its builders in the early thirteenth century.
The smiling angel
There are also 2 300 statues which also contribute to the beauty of the cathedral: statue-columns, arches (cut stone), decorative figures, tabernacles, indoor and outdoor figures and the famous smiling angel...
Notre-Dame de Reims truly deserves its title of having the most beautiful gothic cathedral sculptures.