The Road Goes Ever On

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Reims Cathedral, Sculpture

It was difficult for us to tell what was replaced versus what was just cleaned, but there was plenty of sculpture to look at at Reims.

West facade; no tympanum but many jamb sculptures; and all the wonderful glass

Reims has a couple of famous "smiling angels"; here is the
main one

He/she seems to be saying "YES!" to something...maybe the fact that he/she
still has a head

The other is left here, one wing missing, Gabriel announcing to Mary "Hail Mary,
have I got a deal for you..."

Thus

But compare with the adjoining pair, the Visitation, the
detail on the robes...

One bit of the massive sculpture on the inside of the west
facade

Last Judgment on the tympanum of the main door, north facade

Resurrection detail

"Welcome to Hell!"

A king and a bishop, not least

Elsewhere, baptism of Clovis

I am so far behind with the blog--writing from the South Bar in rainy Chamonix as we are getting ready to move reluctantly further south to Courmayeur and the last two months of this journey--I'll add descriptions later for the pix below of some of Reims' great stained glass. Patienz!

Chagall windows in the chancel

As we were leaving in the afternoon, the Cathedral reflected
in the glass of Reims' smart new city library...or Mediatheque,
as the French now appear to be calling libraries

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.