Reims Cathedral

Reims Cathedral, also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral of Reims or Notre-Dame Cathédrale de Reims, is a Gothic cathedral in France. The name is pronounced "Rance," with little emphasis placed on the "n" sound. First built in the fifth century, the cathedral has been rebuilt several times because of damage from fires, storms, and wars. The methods used to raise funds for its construction were controversial at times, but by the twentieth century, it had become such a respected structure that American philanthropists helped pay for its most recent major reconstruction. It has hosted the coronations of dozens of French kings and has witnessed many historic events over the centuries. The cathedral has been such an important part of French history that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named it a world heritage site in 1991.

Background

Construction on the earliest version of Reims Cathedral began in 401 under the direction of St. Nicaise, sometimes known as St. Nicasius, whose dates of birth and ordination are unknown. St. Nicaise was a Catholic bishop whose beheading in 408—as he led his congregation in defending the city of Reims from a Vandal invasion—turned him into a martyr. The church and town became an important Catholic diocese and, eventually, the home of the archbishop of Reims.

At the end of the fifth century, what was then a relatively small church gained significance when the pagan Frankish king Clovis was baptized there. The baptism took place somewhere between 496 and 498 and converted not only Clovis but also the city, which became an important center of French commerce. Clovis's baptism began the church's association with the French monarchy. As a result, the small church that originally existed was eventually replaced by a grand cathedral.

By the ninth century, this grand cathedral was in place. Its design was Carolingian, a style that copied some forms of Roman architecture. The new cathedral was consecrated in the year 862 with King Charles the Bald in attendance.

The cathedral and much of the surrounding town were devastated by fire on May 6, 1210. The next year, construction began on the Gothic structure now considered Reims Cathedral. The project received great support in its early years, and funding was available to have parts of the church open and operating within ten years. Over the following ten years, many other sections of the cathedral were completed. As construction continued into a third decade, however, additional funding sources were sought. French Catholics—clergy and laity alike—objected to the sale of indulgences, or papers that promised forgiveness of sins in exchange for cash paid to support the construction. This led to disruptions in the construction and some changes to the original construction plans. Another setback occurred in the latter part of the fifteenth century when a fire damaged the roof. Repairs took nearly a decade. The final stone on the original cathedral was laid in the year 1515.

Overview

Located about forty-five minutes from Paris, Reims Cathedral is a contemporary of several Parisian cathedrals, including the more famous Notre-Dame de Paris. When it was built, it had the tallest roof of any cathedral in Europe, standing about 125 feet (approximately 38 meters) high. It has a longer nave, or main worship area, than most cathedrals built at the time because it needed to accommodate large crowds for coronations. The nave is 377 feet (115 meters) long. Over time, the cathedral hosted thirty-three coronations. The most famous of these was the July 17, 1429, coronation of Charles VII by Joan of Arc. The last French king crowned at Reims was Charles X in 1825.

The entire cathedral is 489 feet (149 meters) long and 112 feet (34 meters) wide. With its towers, the cathedral stands 272 feet (83 meters) high. When it was first finished, the cathedral boasted 2,300 carved stone statues on its outside and dozens of intricate stained glass windows. Its enormous rose window at the south end was severely damaged by a storm in the spring of 1580. This was just one instance of many that damaged the cathedral over the years.

The worst damage to the finished cathedral occurred during World War I. In 1914, German troops briefly occupied the city of Reims and used the cathedral as a hospital, scattering straw on its floor and using its pews as beds. When the Germans withdrew, both sides appeared to consider the cathedral out of bounds for the war effort. Then, in September 2014, the Germans believed the French were shooting at them from the cathedral roof. The Germans shelled the cathedral, setting fire to some scaffolding and the roof. The lead that sealed the roof melted in the fire and dripped into the cathedral, setting fire to the straw left by the Germans and to the wooden pews and other structures. As the stone structure collapsed from the damage, stained glass windows were destroyed, and many of the building's statues, including a famous one known as the Smiling Angel, were badly damaged. Before the war ended, the cathedral was hit by as many as three hundred German shells.

The French were able to use the cathedral's "martyrdom" to rally support for the war effort. When the war ended, American businessman and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller offered funds to help restore it. The cathedral was substantially rebuilt by 1935; however, many of its statues and the outside surface show signs of war damage, and many of the windows were replaced with clear glass instead of stained glass.

After its restoration, the cathedral was the site of Germany's unconditional surrender to the Allies on May 7, 1945. In 1962, it hosted the ceremony during which French president Charles de Gaulle and German chancellor Konrad Adenauer recognized the Franco-German reconciliation in the aftermath of the war.

In 2011, the cathedral celebrated its eight hundredth birthday with elaborate light shows that lit up its exterior.

Bibliography

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"Nicaise, St." McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia, www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/N/nicaise-st-(2).html. Accessed 17 May 2017.

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Sass, Erik. "Reims Cathedral Burns." Mental Floss, Sept. 2014, mentalfloss.com/article/58990/wwi-centennial-reims-cathedral-burns. Accessed 17 May 2017.