Sunday, September 15, 2013

Reims Cathedral, Architecture

Reims Cathedral is one of the big three classic high Gothic cathedrals, along with Chartres and Amiens. I'd add Bourges, but some wouldn't since it's not cruciform. There has been much restoration at Reims, the usual Revolution damage, but worse, WWI. Still, it compares very favorably with Amiens and Chartres, particularly the new, cleaned-up Chartres. Reims is large and high, has plenty of 13th century glass where you can see it without a telescope, great rose windows all over, and more sculpture than the others. Plus, thanks to the Rockefellers, Reims is the place where you can go up into the ceiling/roof and see a crucial part of cathedral building you can scarcely see anywhere else. Consequently, it's going to take me four posts to do Reims!
Roman arch at Reims; we camped at the city's downtown hostel, which also provides
a dozen or so places in its aire de camping cars; note: to get into the aire, you have
to go into the hostel office and get the gate pass code

















West facade; fun jamb sculptures, more rose windows than the
others



















Nave: BIG church; though there are several English cathedrals we really like--
particularly Wells--it's great to be back in these huge, high structures and to
marvel at them

















Elevation: single aisle, blind triforium, big clerestory lancets
surmounted by roundels



















Crossing














Some of the pier/column work


















Aisle view, looking to one of the several west
rose windows



















Of course this is not the first cathedral or church to stand on this spot; here, in
the nave, is the place where Bishop Remi is said to have baptized Clovis, king
of the Franks, 6th century, thus bringing all the Franks over to Christianity ("take
me to your leader")


















Outside, looking up one of the great towers


















A bit of the buttressing














Bow view; a truly beautiful Gothic cathedral


















We were not the only pilgrims there that day...in the "92 in
the shade" heat








Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Reims' Carnegie Library

Carnegie libraries used to be a big deal in the US, a century ago, and some still are.There is no surer way to enslave people than to deny them information, and Mr. Carnegie had the good sense to fight that good fight. Much of Reims was destroyed in WWI, and Carnegie, as well as other generous Americans, did much to finance the rebuilding of this and other European cities. The Carnegie Bibliotheque in Reims is no mere library, however: it is one of the greatest of Art Deco structures. And something we had to see.
Full frontal














Bust of Mr. C












Building detail
















Young stained glass, but as beautiful as any other 



















Card catalog room














Staircase














Ceiling in what we think was the main reading room














Windows, same room














Lobby chandelier














Lobby wall mosaic














Another; one of many














Door off the entry porch; note ashcan


















Porch ceiling


















Flower pot














All right next to the great cathedral's grounds

Laon Cathedral, Sculpture

West facade, north door, ever-popular Last Judgment














In the archivolt, a wise virgin














And a wise ex-virgin; no, a foolish ex-virgin; whatever














Judgment up closer, note tiny resurrection scenes at bottom














Damnation; not least, a bishop














Coronation of Mary, major big tympanum














Abraham and Isaac; and big knife


















Jews burning...a favorite Christian Medieval theme














Slimey creatures














All in a row














More of the towers














More menagerie














Rare female gargoyle


















Looking up one of the towers...Cistercian
severity?



















From the cathedral looking toward lower (and newer) Laon,
much battered in the WWs

Laon Cathedral, Architecture And Glass

Laon, in Piccardy, northeast of Paris, is one of the great early Gothic cathedrals, transitional by description, but pretty fully Gothic, if you ask me. It was begun in 1155 and finished in the 1230s.
Laon Cathedral...with restaurant, tourists, TI, and tourist train... 



















The two west towers, with their menagerie of oxen, unicorns, etc; there were to be
seven towers, but "only" five actually were built
















The white stone is marvelous and permits all kinds of coloration; we had the place
pretty much to ourselves; you can see you're off the beaten cathedral path when
the gift shoppe consists of a few postcards and a voluntary payment system;
anyhow, here is the knave view, great light, even greater up toward the bow


















Elevation; aisles, real galleries, triforia, smallish clerestory
windows; note the columns, more like Romanesque...




















View to the choir and bow, with great rose window and three
13th century lancets



















Crossing














View abaft


















Choir view














Alas, all the side chapels are walled-off, thus much diminishing
the sense of size inside; a later post-medieval innovation, one
imagines




















Beautiful bow rose window














The Becket window; he did some time here at the cathedral
school, under the protection of the king of France, waiting to
see how much of a bribe the pope would require, and whether
Henry II could afford it






















Birth of Jesus window; 13th century


















Passion window; ditto


















Jesus leaving the dinner at Emmaus














North aisle


















Liberal arts window, north (port) transept














"Yippeeee!"