Rheims Cathedral, France. (Part Four).

Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Please note: “Reims” (French) is often spelled “Rheims” in English.

The Nave,

Rheims Cathedral, France.

Photo: 20 April 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Johan Bakker

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 2011, the City of Reims celebrated the Cathedral’s 800th anniversary. The celebrations ran from 6 May to 23 October. Concerts, street performances, exhibitions, conferences, and a series of evening Light Shows highlighted the Cathedral and its 800th anniversary.

In addition, six new Stained-Glass Windows, designed by Imi Knoebel, a German artist, were inaugurated on 25 June 2011. The six Windows cover an area of 128m² and are positioned on both sides of the Chagall Windows in the Apse of the Cathedral.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims (Latin: Archidiœcesis Remensis) is an Archdiocese of The Latin Rite of The Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected as a Diocese around 250 A.D., by Saint Sixtus, the Diocese was Elevated to an Archdiocese around 750 A.D. The Archbishop received the Title “Primate of Gallia Belgica” in 1089.

Rheims Cathedral, France.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

In 1023, Archbishop Ebles acquired the Countship of Reims, making him a Prince-Bishop; it became a Duchy and a Peerage between 1060 and 1170.

The archdiocese comprises the arrondissement of Reims and the département of Ardennes, while the province comprises the région of Champagne-Ardenne. The Suffragan Dioceses within Reims are Amiens, Beauvais-Noyon-Senlis, Châlons, Langres, Soissons–Laon–Saint-Quentin, and Troyes. The Archepiscopal See is located in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims, where the Kings of France were traditionally crowned.

Reims, located in the North-East of France, hosted several Councils, or Synods, in The Roman Catholic Church. These Councils did not universally represent The Church and are not counted among the official Ecumenical Councils.

English: The Chalice of Saint Remigius.

Used in the Coronations of French Kings.

Français: Calice du sacre,fin du XIIème siècle, Palais du Tau,Trésor de la cathédrale de Reims. Or, émaux, perles, pierres fines et pierres précieuses. Il fut envoyé à la fonte à la Monnaie de Paris et heureusement oublié, puis exposé au Musée des Antiques de la Bibliothèque Nationale à Paris. Il fut renvoyé à Reims en 1861, sous Napoléon III.

Photo: 15 March 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Vassil

(Wikimedia Commons)

The first Synod, said to have been held at Rheims by Archbishop Sonnatius, 624 A.D. - 630 A.D., is probably identical with that held at Clichy (Clippiacum) in 626 A.D. or 627 A.D.

In 813 A.D., Archbishop Wulfar presided at a Synod of Reform (“Werminghoff” in “Mon. Germ. Hist.: Concilia aevi Carol. I”, I, Hanover, 1904, 253 sq.).

A Council, usually called the Synod of Saint Basle, was convoked at Rheims by King Hugues Capet, assisted by Gerbert of Aurillac, later Pope Sylvester II, to consider the case of Arnulf, Archbishop of Rheims, illegitimate son of the Late King Lothair.

Flying Buttresses,

Rheims Cathedral, France.

Photo: 16 November 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: Magnus Manske

(Wikimedia Commons)

Arnulf was accused of conspiring with his uncle, Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, against Hugues Capet. He was duly deposed by the Council, and Gerbert appointed in his place. This was done without the approval of Pope John XV, who refused to accept either Arnulf’s removal or Gerbert’s appointment. The matter dragged on until 995 A.D., when Arnulf was restored, and was only completely resolved by Pope Gregory V in 997 A.D.

Held by Pope Leo IX, the Council of Rheims in 1049 enquired into Simony. Hugo of Breteuil, Bishop of Langres, fled the proceedings, and was deposed. According to Eamon Duffy: “In one week, Pope Leo IX had asserted Papal authority as it had never been asserted before”. The Council also excommunicated Geoffrey Martel, for the imprisonment of Gervase, Bishop of Le Mans.

On 3 October 1054, a Rheims Council had a Dogmatic Declaration about the Primacy of The Roman Pontiff as Successor of Peter: “Declaratum est quod solus Romanæ sedis pontifex universalis Ecclesiæ Primas esset et Apostolicus”.

THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON RHEIMS CATHEDRAL.

Rheims Cathedral, France. (Part Three).

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Please note: “Reims” (French) is often spelled “Rheims” in English.

English: The High Gothic architecture

of Rheims Cathedral, France.

Français: Vue de la Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims.

Photo: 7 June 2015.

Source: File:Cathédrale 01554 Reims.JPG by G.Garitan

Author: Source: G.Garitan

Derivative: User:MathKnight

(Wikimedia Commons)

Rheims Cathedral, France.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

The three Portals are laden with Statues and Statuettes; among European Cathedrals, only Chartres has more sculpted figures. The Central Portal, Dedicated to The Virgin Mary, is surmounted by a Rose Window framed in an Arch, itself decorated with Statuary, in place of the usual sculptured Tympanum. The “Gallery of The Kings” shows the Baptism of Clovis.

The facades of The Transepts are also decorated with sculptures. That on the North Side has Statues of Bishops of Rheims, a representation of The Last Judgment and a figure of Jesus (le Beau Dieu), while that on the South Side has a modern Rose Window with the Prophets and Apostles.

Fire destroyed the roof and the Spires in 1481. Of the four Towers that flanked the Transepts, nothing remains above the height of the roof. Above the Choir, rises an elegant Lead-covered Timber Bell-Tower that is 18m (59 feet) tall, reconstructed in the 15th-Century and in the 1920s.

The Great West Doors,

Rheims Cathedral, France.

Photo: 8 September 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Szeder László

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Interior of the Cathedral is 138.75m (455 ft) long, 30m (98 feet) wide in The Nave, and 38m (125 feet) high in the centre. It comprises a Nave with Aisles, Transepts with Aisles, a Choir with Double Aisles, and an Apse with Ambulatory and Radiating Chapels. It has interesting Stained-Glass, ranging from the 13th-Century to the 20th-Century. The Rose Window over the Main Portal and The Gallery, beneath, are of rare magnificence.

The Cathedral possesses fine Tapestries. Of these, the most important series is that presented by Robert de Lenoncourt, Archbishop under François I, representing The Life of The Virgin. They are now to be seen in the former Bishop's Palace, The Palace of Tau.

Sculpture over The Great West Door,

depicting The Crowning of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Rheims Cathedral, France.

Photo: 4 November 2011.

Source: FLICKR

Author: Tony Bowden

(Wikipedia Commons)

The North Transept contains a fine Organ in a flamboyant Gothic Case. The Choir Clock is ornamented with curious mechanical figures. Marc Chagall designed the Stained-Glass. installed in 1974. in the axis of the Apse.

The Treasury, kept in The Palace of Tau, includes many precious objects, among which is The Sainte Ampoule, or Holy Flask, the successor of the ancient one that contained the oil with which French Kings were anointed, which was broken during The French Revolution, a fragment of which the present Ampoule contains.

Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral, the former Abbey of Saint-Remi, and The Palace of Tau were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1991.

The Web-Site of Rheims Cathedral can be found HERE

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

Rheims Cathedral, France. (Part Two).

Text from Wikipedia - the free encylopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

Please note: “Reims” (French) is often spelled “Rheims” in English.

Rheims Cathedral.

Artist: Domenico Quaglio the Younger (1787–1837).

Collection: Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany.

This File: 14 May 2005.

User: Luestling~commonswiki

(Wikimedia Commons)

Unusually, the names of the Cathedral’s original architects are known. A Labyrinth built into the floor of The Nave at the time of construction (similar to examples at Chartres and Amiens) included the names of four Master Masons (Jean d'Orbais, Jean-Le-Loup, Gaucher de Reims, and Bernard de Soissons) and the number of years they worked there, though art historians still disagree over who was responsible for which parts of the building.

The Labyrinth was destroyed in 1779, but its details and inscriptions are known from 18th-Century drawings. The clear association here between a Labyrinth and Master Masons adds weight to the argument that such patterns were an allusion to the emerging status of the architect (through their association with the mythical artificer, Dædalus, who built the Labyrinth of King Minos).

English: Postcard depicting Rheims Cathedral burning

after German Army bombardment in September 1914.

Français: La Cathédrale_de Reims en_flammes

par les obus allemands, carte postale.

Date: 1914.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gérald Garitan

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral also contains further evidence of the rising status of the architect in the tomb of Huges Liberger (☩ 1268, architect of the now-destroyed Rheims Church of Saint Nicaise). Not only is he given the honour of an engraved slab, he is shown holding a miniature model of his Church (an honour formerly reserved for noble donors) and wearing the academic garb befitting an intellectual.

The Towers, 81m tall (267 ft), were originally designed to rise 120m (394 ft). The South Tower holds just two great Bells; one of them, named “Charlotte” by Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine in 1570, weighs more than 10,000 kg (about 11 tons).

During The Hundred Years' War, the Cathedral was under siege by the English Army from 1359 to 1360.

English: Poster for the mobilisation of the 178th Canadian Battalion during The First World War, with Rheims Cathedral in the background.

Français: Affiche pour la mobilisation au sein du

178 bataillon canadien avec en fond la cathédrale Reims.

Date: 1915.

Source: Not known.

Author: Not known.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1875, The French National Assembly voted £80,000 for repairs of the façade and balustrades. The façade is the finest portion of the building, and one of the great masterpieces of The Middle Ages.

German shells, during the opening engagements of The First World War on 20 September 1914, burned, damaged, and destroyed, important parts of the Cathedral. Scaffolding around The North Tower caught fire, spreading the blaze to all parts of the carpentry superstructure.

The Lead of the roofs melted and poured through the Stone Gargoyles, destroying, in turn, the Bishop's Palace. Restoration work began in 1919, under the direction of Henri Deneux, a native of Rheims and Chief Architect of The Monuments Historiques; the Cathedral was fully re-opened in 1938, thanks, in part, to financial support from The Rockefellers, but work has been steadily going on since.

The Web-Site of Rheims Cathedral can be found HERE

PART THREE FOLLOWS

Rheims Cathedral, France. (Part One).

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Please note: “Reims” (French) is often spelled “Rheims” in English.

English: Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral

(Our Lady of Rheims).

Français: La cathédrale de Reims.

Photo: 31 October 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Alexander Franke.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: The West Rose Window,

Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral

(Our Lady of Rheims).

Français: La cathédrale de Reims.

Photo: March 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Eric Pouhier

(Wikimedia Commons)

Notre-Dame de Reims (Our Lady of Rheims) is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Reims, where the Kings of France were once Crowned. It replaces an older Church, destroyed by fire in 1211, which was built on the site of the Basilica where Clovis was Baptised by Saint Remi, Bishop of Reims, in 496 A.D. That original structure had been erected on the site of the Roman Baths. As the Cathedral, it remains the Seat of the Archdiocese of Reims.

Excavations have shown that the present building occupies roughly the same site as the original Cathedral, Founded circa 400 A.D., under the Episcopacy of Saint Nicaise. That Church was rebuilt during the Carolingian period and further extended in the 12th-Century.

Rheims Cathedral.

Photo: July 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: bodoklecksel

(Wikimedia Commons)

On 6 July 1210, the Cathedral was damaged by fire and reconstruction started shortly afterwards, 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.

English: The Chevet,

Rheims Cathedral.

Français: Vue du chevet de la cathédrale de Reims.

Photo: 18 March 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Vassil

(Wikimedia Commons)

The area from the 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 façade took place in several phases, which is reflected in the very different styles of some of the sculptures. The upper parts of the façade were completed in the 14th-Century, but apparently following 13th-Century designs, giving Reims an unusual unity of Style.

PART TWO FOLLOWS

Rheims Cathedral, France. (Part Two).

Text from Wikipedia - the free encylopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

Please note: “Reims” (French) is often spelled “Rheims” in English.

Rheims Cathedral.

Artist: Domenico Quaglio the Younger (1787–1837).

Collection: Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany.

This File: 14 May 2005.

User: Luestling~commonswiki

(Wikimedia Commons)

Unusually, the names of the Cathedral's original architects are known. A Labyrinth built into the floor of The Nave at the time of construction (similar to examples at Chartres and Amiens) included the names of four Master Masons (Jean d'Orbais, Jean-Le-Loup, Gaucher de Reims, and Bernard de Soissons) and the number of years they worked there, though art historians still disagree over who was responsible for which parts of the building.

The Labyrinth was destroyed in 1779, but its details and inscriptions are known from 18th-Century drawings. The clear association here between a Labyrinth and Master Masons adds weight to the argument that such patterns were an allusion to the emerging status of the architect (through their association with the mythical artificer, Dædalus, who built the Labyrinth of King Minos).

English: Postcard depicting Rheims Cathedral burning

after German Army bombardment in September 1914.

Français: La Cathédrale_de Reims en_flammes

par les obus allemands, carte postale.

Date: 1914.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gérald Garitan

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral also contains further evidence of the rising status of the architect in the tomb of Huges Liberger (☩ 1268, architect of the now-destroyed Rheims Church of Saint Nicaise). Not only is he given the honour of an engraved slab, he is shown holding a miniature model of his Church (an honour formerly reserved for noble donors) and wearing the academic garb befitting an intellectual.

The Towers, 81m tall (267 ft), were originally designed to rise 120m (394 ft). The South Tower holds just two great Bells; one of them, named “Charlotte” by Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine in 1570, weighs more than 10,000 kg (about 11 tons).

During The Hundred Years' War, the Cathedral was under siege by the English Army from 1359 to 1360.

English: Poster for the mobilisation of the 178th Canadian Battalion during The First World War, with Rheims Cathedral in the background.

Français: Affiche pour la mobilisation au sein du

178 bataillon canadien avec en fond la cathédrale Reims.

Date: 1915.

Source: Not known.

Author: Not known.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1875, The French National Assembly voted £80,000 for repairs of the façade and balustrades. The façade is the finest portion of the building, and one of the great masterpieces of The Middle Ages.

German shells, during the opening engagements of The First World War on 20 September 1914, burned, damaged, and destroyed, important parts of the Cathedral. Scaffolding around The North Tower caught fire, spreading the blaze to all parts of the carpentry superstructure.

The Lead of the roofs melted and poured through the Stone Gargoyles, destroying, in turn, the Bishop's Palace. Restoration work began in 1919, under the direction of Henri Deneux, a native of Rheims and Chief Architect of The Monuments Historiques; the Cathedral was fully re-opened in 1938, thanks, in part, to financial support from The Rockefellers, but work has been steadily going on since.

The Web-Site of Rheims Cathedral can be found HERE

PART THREE FOLLOWS

Rheims Cathedral, France. (Part One).

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Please note: “Reims” (French) is often spelled “Rheims” in English.

English: Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral

(Our Lady of Rheims).

Français: La cathédrale de Reims.

Photo: 31 October 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Alexander Franke.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: The West Rose Window,

Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral

(Our Lady of Rheims).

Français: La cathédrale de Reims.

Photo: March 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Eric Pouhier

(Wikimedia Commons)

Notre-Dame de Reims (Our Lady of Rheims) is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Reims, where the Kings of France were once Crowned. It replaces an older Church, destroyed by fire in 1211, which was built on the site of the Basilica where Clovis was Baptised by Saint Remi, Bishop of Reims, in 496 A.D. That original structure had been erected on the site of the Roman Baths. As the Cathedral, it remains the Seat of the Archdiocese of Reims.

Excavations have shown that the present building occupies roughly the same site as the original Cathedral, Founded circa 400 A.D., under the Episcopacy of Saint Nicaise. That Church was rebuilt during the Carolingian period and further extended in the 12th-Century.

Rheims Cathedral.

Photo: July 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: bodoklecksel

(Wikimedia Commons)

On 6 July 1210, the Cathedral was damaged by fire and reconstruction started shortly afterwards, 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.

English: The Chevet,

Rheims Cathedral.

Français: Vue du chevet de la cathédrale de Reims.

Photo: 18 March 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Vassil

(Wikimedia Commons)

The area from the 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 façade took place in several phases, which is reflected in the very different styles of some of the sculptures. The upper parts of the façade were completed in the 14th-Century, but apparently following 13th-Century designs, giving Reims an unusual unity of Style.

PART TWO FOLLOWS

Rheims Cathedral, France. (Part Two).

Text from Wikipedia - the free encylopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

Please note: “Reims” (French) is often spelled “Rheims” in English.

Rheims Cathedral.

Artist: Domenico Quaglio the Younger (1787–1837).

Collection: Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany.

This File: 14 May 2005.

User: Luestling~commonswiki

(Wikimedia Commons)

Unusually, the names of the Cathedral's original architects are known. A Labyrinth built into the floor of The Nave at the time of construction (similar to examples at Chartres and Amiens) included the names of four Master Masons (Jean d'Orbais, Jean-Le-Loup, Gaucher de Reims, and Bernard de Soissons) and the number of years they worked there, though art historians still disagree over who was responsible for which parts of the building.

The Labyrinth was destroyed in 1779, but its details and inscriptions are known from 18th-Century drawings. The clear association here between a Labyrinth and Master Masons adds weight to the argument that such patterns were an allusion to the emerging status of the architect (through their association with the mythical artificer, Dædalus, who built the Labyrinth of King Minos).

English: Postcard depicting Rheims Cathedral burning

after German Army bombardment in September 1914.

Français: La Cathédrale_de Reims en_flammes

par les obus allemands, carte postale.

Date: 1914.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gérald Garitan

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral also contains further evidence of the rising status of the architect in the tomb of Huges Liberger (☩ 1268, architect of the now-destroyed Rheims Church of Saint Nicaise). Not only is he given the honour of an engraved slab, he is shown holding a miniature model of his Church (an honour formerly reserved for noble donors) and wearing the academic garb befitting an intellectual.

The Towers, 81m tall (267 ft), were originally designed to rise 120m (394 ft). The South Tower holds just two great Bells; one of them, named “Charlotte” by Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine in 1570, weighs more than 10,000 kg (about 11 tons).

During The Hundred Years' War, the Cathedral was under siege by the English Army from 1359 to 1360.

English: Poster for the mobilisation of the 178th Canadian Battalion

during The First World War, with Rheims Cathedral in the background.

Français: Affiche pour la mobilisation au sein du

178 bataillon canadien avec en fond la cathédrale Reims.

Date: 1915.

Source: Not known.

Author: Not known.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1875, The French National Assembly voted £80,000 for repairs of the façade and balustrades. The façade is the finest portion of the building, and one of the great masterpieces of The Middle Ages.

German shells, during the opening engagements of The First World War on 20 September 1914, burned, damaged, and destroyed, important parts of the Cathedral. Scaffolding around The North Tower caught fire, spreading the blaze to all parts of the carpentry superstructure.

The Lead of the roofs melted and poured through the Stone Gargoyles, destroying, in turn, the Bishop's Palace. Restoration work began in 1919, under the direction of Henri Deneux, a native of Rheims and Chief Architect of The Monuments Historiques; the Cathedral was fully re-opened in 1938, thanks, in part, to financial support from The Rockefellers, but work has been steadily going on since.

The Web-Site of Rheims Cathedral can be found HERE

PART THREE FOLLOWS