Notre Dame Cathedral in Reims is considered to be the best example of French and Classical Gothic. It is no coincidence that from the period of the Middle Ages up to the 19th century, the solemn coronations of almost all French monarchs took place in it, and not in the Parisian cathedral.
In Reims, the cathedral was erected after the Notre Dame Cathedral. The architects had a fine example of Gothic to follow. Construction began in 1210 on the site of an ancient 5th century church, but a massive fire destroyed the structure. In 1211, new construction began with the involvement of four renowned French architects. And as a result, a stone-laced miracle was born, which has survived to this day.
Notre Dame Cathedral in Reims is not a replica of a Parisian temple. Architects Jean d-Aubre, then Jean Le Loup, Gauche de Reims, Bernard de Sawson in turn contributed to the construction of their vision of the cathedral. They not only imitated the model, but surpassed it in some way. So, the length of the main nave is 138 meters, 8 meters longer than the Parisian one. The two central towers reached 80 m and were 11 m higher than the Parisian ones. They are still the tallest among the cathedrals in France. It was planned to build 5 more towers, but it was not possible to bring this to life, since there were not enough forces and funds.
The cathedral in Reims is equipped with many sculptures. There are more than 500 of them only in the "Gallery of Kings". The façade features not only sculptures of kings, but also prominent bishops, knights, and artisans. The figures of angels installed in niches above the portal gave the building the popular name "Cathedral of Angels".
It is difficult to take your eyes off the Reims Cathedral. Its main, highest western façade stands out in particular. At the base, it seems heavy, massive. It is like a frozen vertical carved stone wall with two aerial towers. It is worth moving away from the cathedral, and it already seems light, weightless, as if floating in the air. This is an amazing effect that the builders of the Middle Ages achieved.
