Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
settle more comfortably into a seat at a café with a clear view through the trees. The show
generally starts when it's dark—between 21:30 and 23:00 (nightly except Mon July-Aug,
Fri-Sun only in May-June and Sept). Sometimes a second show commences 10 minutes
after the first show ends.
Self-Guided Tour:
Beginyourvisitbyadmiringthecathedral's
West Portal.
It's
perhaps the best west portal anywhere. Built under the direction of four different archi-
tects, it is remarkable for its unity and harmony. The church was started about 1211 and
mostly finished just 60 years later. The 260-foot-tall towers were added in the 1400s; the
spires intended to top them were never installed for lack of money.
Like the cathedrals in Paris and Chartres, this church is dedicated to
“Our Lady”
(NotreDame).StatuesdepictingthecrowningoftheVirgintakecenterstageonthefacade.
For eight centuries Catholics have prayed to the Mother of God, kneeling here to ask her
to intervene with God on their behalf. In 1429, Joan of Arc received messages here from
Mary encouraging her to rally French troops against the English at the Siege of Orléans (a
statue of Joan from 1896 is over your left shoulder as you face the church).
An ornate facade like this comes with a cohesive and carefully designed message.
Study the carving. A good percentage of the statues are original and date from around
1250. There are
three main doors,
each with a theme carved into the limestone.
On the left is the
Passion
(the events leading up to and including the Crucifixion).
AmongthelocalsaintsshownbelowisthefamousSmilingAngel,whosejovialexpression
has served the city well as its marketing icon. The central portal is dedicated to the
Virgin
Mary,
featuring the Coronation of Mary with scenes from her life below. And on the right
is the
Last Judgment,
with scenes from the apocalypse. Above the great rose window are
reliefs of David (with his dog) and Goliath. Notice the fire damage, from 1914, around the
rose window (fire melts limestone). Across the top is the
Gallery of Kings,
depicting 56
of France's kings. They flank the country's first Christian king, Clovis, who appears to be
wearingabarrel—he'sactuallykneelingprayerfullyatabaptismalfont.Theseanonymous
statues, without egos, are unnamed kings whose spiritual mission is to lead their people to
God.
Before going inside, step around to the right side and study the exoskeletal nature
of the church's structure. Braces on the outside—
flying buttresses
—soar up the sides of
the church. These massive “beams” are critical to supporting the building, redirecting the
weight of the roof outward (and into the ground), rather than downward on the supporting
walls. Withthesupportprovidedbythecolumns, arches, andbuttresses, thewalls—which
no longer needed to be so solid and thick—became window holders.
The architects of Reims Cathedral were confident in their building practices. Gothic
architects had learned by trial and error—many church roofs caved in as they tested their
