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| Antheaume Ysoie cyprille Samantha and a poor little bird fell of the roof |
The girls have provided him so much care . . .that . . . the bird flew to the paradise of birds ...
Wednesday, it is Ysoie the butterfly who comes back from her friend Claire
SATURDAY
Notre Dame Cathedral - Reims
Notre Dame Cathedral of Reims is a Gothic art masterpiece where the kings of France were crowned until 1789. It was the center of an important "cathedral complex" and the representation of Heavenly Jerusalem for the people of the Middle Ages. Il was also the symbolic center of the Archbishop's power, as Primate over the bishops of several dioceses in Northern France.
Notre Dame Cathedral of Reims is a Gothic art masterpiece where the kings of France were crowned until 1789. It was the center of an important "cathedral complex" and the representation of Heavenly Jerusalem for the people of the Middle Ages. Il was also the symbolic center of the Archbishop's power, as Primate over the bishops of several dioceses in Northern France.
Reims has been a capital since the Gallic times. It was the principal city of the "Remes tribe", from which its name was derived. Its importance continued to increase, later becoming the capital of the Roman province of Belgium, a vast territory that included all of the north of Gaul.
The bishop of Reims inherited this influential situation at the collapse of the Roman Empire. During the early Middle Ages, the Bishop positioned himself as the official upholder of public authority.
With the baptism of Clovis by Saint Rémi, in 498, the precedent of royal unction was established in the Reims Cathedral. however, the first King to be crowned, Pépin le Bref, was crowned at Soissons (in 751) then again at Saint Denis, (in 754) by the Pope Stephen II.
Begun in 1211 after the burning of the old cathedral Saint Nicaise the new Gothic cathedral dedicated to "Notre Dame" was ended in 1285 but it rests incomplete : spires that were initially planned for the tops of the towers were never built.
Reims Cathedral is one of the largest cathedral in the Christian world.
Lenght
Exterior : 149m (489 feet)
Interior : 139m (456 feet)
Nave : 115m (377 feet)
Width
Exterior : 34m (112 feet)
Interior : 30m (98 feet)
Exterior at transepts : 49,5m (162feet)
Nave : 14,65m (48 feet)
Height vault : 38m (125 feet)
For comparison : Paris (begun 1163) : 35m (115 feet)
The highest cathedral (to Beauvais) : 48m (157 feet)
The architecture of the Reims Cathedral is characteristic of Gothic art: it represents a moment of equilibrium between the experiments of Early Gothic (second half of the 12th century), and the decorative evolution of Radiant Gothic (about 1230-1350) and Flamboyant Gothic (about 1350-1500).
On Saturday, October 19th 1914, the cathedral was hit by shellfire. The wooden scaffolding against the north tower and the 15th century roof timbers were burned. During 4 years, the cathedral was continuously bombarded, hit by more than 300 shells from the German Army occupying forts on the outskirts of the city.
Its robust design and the perfection of its assembly save it from collapse.
In 1938, the cathedral was reopened.
One of the main sponsors who allowed the restoration of the cathedral was John D. Rockefeller.
The gargoyles
The richness of this sculptural ensemble is renowned. Never before had artists so succeeded in bringing stone to life. The famous "Ange au Sourire" (Smiling Angel) has become character of their own right.
although the statues seem to present a particularly unified expression of medieval thought, it's nevertheless not distinguish a unique style in an edifice erected over a period of 3 centuries.
The stained glasses of the west entrance
The Cathedral is largely composed of glass, with hundreds of square metersof stained glass windows, originally multicolored.
Today, 75% of these windows have disappeared, victims of vandalism during the French Revolution (18th century) and wars (especially during WW1).
Very many of medieval stained glass windows of the cathedral of Reims have disappeared. their history remind us just how fragile are the few that, through great care and effort, remain to us today.As early as the 16th century, the windows were the object of occasional restoration and, after WW1, certain for the high windows were patiently resconstituted.
The organ
Bishop's chair
Windows of Marc Chagall (1887-1985)
This 3 stained glass windows for the axial chapel were performed between 1968 and 1974
Jeanne d'Arc
which led King Charles VII in Reims during the Hundred Years War (against Great Britain) to be crowned in the Cathedral.
The tombstone of a knight who lived and dead in the 13th century
After the visit, we return to Châlons by the highway.
A street in Châlons
