Reims, Grand Est, France
Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims
The Gothic cathedral where French kings were crowned for a thousand years, known for its exceptional sculpture and its association with St. Joan of Arc.
This is where France made its kings. From the baptism of Clovis around 496 to the coronation of Charles X in 1825, Reims Cathedral was the place where rulers knelt and received their crown. Joan of Arc stood in this nave in 1429 and watched the dauphin Charles VII crowned, the mission she said God gave her finally complete. The building itself is High Gothic at its most confident — construction began in 1211 and the masons reached higher and let in more light than almost anyone before them. The west facade carries over 2,300 statues, more than any other cathedral in Europe. The most famous is the Smiling Angel, a figure on the left portal whose grin has survived eight centuries of weather and one world war. German shelling in 1914 set the roof on fire and shattered much of the glass, but the structure held and the restoration, funded partly by the Rockefeller family, took decades. Marc Chagall designed new stained-glass windows for the axial chapel in 1974 — deep blues and radiant figures that sit surprisingly well alongside the medieval glass. The interior is enormous, the stone pale, and the light on a clear day fills the nave like water filling a basin.
Diocese: Archdiocese of Reims
Style: High Gothic
What to See
The west facade demands time. Stand across the square and take in the three portals, the gallery of kings above, and the twin towers. Find the Smiling Angel on the left portal — its expression is genuinely warm and unlike any other Gothic sculpture. Inside, the nave stretches 138 meters and the clerestory windows flood the upper reaches with light. Walk to the axial chapel to see Chagall's windows: the blue glass depicting Abraham, the Crucifixion, and French kings is stunning in afternoon light. The north transept has a great rose window, partially original. A marker on the floor shows where the coronation throne was placed. The Tau Palace next door, the former archbishop's residence, is now a museum with original statuary and tapestries from the cathedral.
Pilgrim Notes
Reims is forty-five minutes from Paris by TGV train. The cathedral is in the city center and free to enter. Guided tower tours are available for a fee and give access to the upper gallery with close views of the sculpture. Mass is celebrated daily. The cathedral is busy with tourists year-round but especially in summer. The Tau Palace museum is worth the visit for the original sculpture removed from the facade for conservation. Reims is also the capital of Champagne country — the cellars of major houses are within walking distance of the cathedral. Combine with a visit to the Basilica of Saint-Remi, a Romanesque church across town with the tomb of the bishop who baptized Clovis.