Reims Cathedral,cathedral located in the city ofReims,France, on the Vesle River east-northeast ofParis. Reims was the site of 25 coronations of the kings of France, fromLouis VIII in 1223 toCharles X in 1825, including the crowning ofCharles VII in 1429 in the presence ofJoan of Arc. The cathedral, which was begun in 1211 under theauspices of Archbishop Aubry de Humbert and designer Jean d’Orbais, was modeled onChartres Cathedral (begun about 1194) and was intended to replace an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1210. The main construction was overseen by four different architects and lasted some 80 years; expansions and decorative work continued on the church for centuries.

Reims Cathedral incorporated several new architectural techniques, notably bartracery. It has a total finished length of 489 feet (149.2 metres)—about 26 feet (8 metres) longer than Chartres—with an interior length of 455 feet (138.7 metres) and anave reaching 377 feet (115 metres). The twin towers in the westfacade have a height of 266 feet (81 metres). Thechevet (eastern end), with its five relatively largechapels, is nearly the same width as thetransept (201 feet [61.3 metres]), giving the cathedral an unusually compact, unified appearance. This unity is emphasized by the use of nearly identical window types in theaisle andclerestory stories, as well as the complementaryrose windows in the west facade and central portal and those in the transepts’ facades. Reims is richly decorated with elegant masonry sculpture (particularly the exterior) and exceptional stained-glass windows, making it one of the artistic masterpieces of theFrench High Gothic period.

1 of 2

2 of 2

The cathedral’s historic site, which was added to theUNESCOWorld Heritage List in 1991, includes the former Abbey of Saint-Rémi (begun about 1170 and containing the remains of the 5th–6th centuryarchbishopSt. Remigius) and the archiepiscopal Tau Palace (reconstructed in the 17th century). Restoration wasundertaken in the 20th century after the cathedral was seriously damaged by shelling duringWorld War I.