Hotels near Reims, France

A little about Reims...

Reims (alternative English spelling Rheims) is a city of the Champagne-Ardenne région of northern France, standing 144 km (89 miles) east-northeast of Paris. It was originally founded during the period of the Roman Empire.

Reims played a very important role in French history, as it was the place where the kings of France were crowned. The most famous and cherished of these events was the coronation of Charles VII in the company of Joan of Arc. Thus, the Cathedral of Reims (damaged by the Germans during the First World War but restored since) played the same role in France as Westminster Abbey did in England. It was there that was kept the Holy Ampulla (Sainte Ampoule) containing the Saint Chrême (chrism), which was said to have been brought by a white dove (the Holy Spirit) at the baptism of Clovis in 496, and was used for the anointing, the most important part of the coronation of French kings.

Reims is often considered the capital of Champagne, an old province of France, world-famous for its sparkling wine (Champagne). Today however, Reims is merely the largest city in the region.

At the 1999 census, there were 187,206 inhabitants (Rémoises (feminine) and Rémois) in the city of Reims proper (the commune), while there were 291,735 inhabitants in the whole metropolitan area (aire urbaine).

Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims
Reims is well known for its cathedral, Notre-Dame de Reims, where the kings of France used to be crowned. The cathedral, was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1991, along with the former Abbey of Saint-Remi and the Palace of Tau.

Palace of Tau
The archiepiscopal palace, built between 1498 and 1509, and in part rebuilt in 1675, was occupied by the kings on the occasion of their coronation. The saloon (salle du Tau), where the royal banquet was held, has an immense stone chimney from the 15th century. The chapel of the archiepiscopal palace consists of two storeys, of which the upper still serves as a place of worship. Both the chapel and the salle du Tau are decorated with tapestries of the 17th century, known as the Perpersack tapestries, after the Flemish weaver who executed them. The palace has been opened to the public in 1972 as a museum containing such exhibits as statues formerly displayed by the cathedral, treasures of the cathedral from past centuries, and royal attire from coronations of French kings.


Saint Rémi of Reims Basilica
Saint Rémi Basilica, an easy one-mile walk from the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Reims, is named for the 5th century Saint Rémi who has been the patron saint of the inhabitants of Reims for more than 15 centuries. The basilica is almost equal in size to the cathedral. Adjacent to the basilica is an important abbey, formerly known as the Royal Abbey of St Rémi. The abbey sought to trace its heritage back to St Rémi, while the present abbey building dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries.

The St Rémi Basilica dates from the 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th centuries. Most of the church was constructed by the 11th century, with additions made in later centuries. The nave and transepts, Romanesque in style, date mainly from the earliest, the façade of the south transept from the latest of those periods, the choir and apse chapels from the 12th and 13th centuries. More additions were made in the 17th and 19th centuries. The building was greatly damaged in World War I, and was rebuilt from the ruins in the following 40 years through the meticulous restoration work of architect Henri Deneux. It is still the seat of an active Catholic parish holding regular worship services and welcoming pilgrims. It has been classified as an historical monument since 1841 and is one of the pinnacles of the history of art and of the history of France.

The abbey building is now open to the public as the Saint-Rémi Museum. The abbey was closed in the wake of the French Revolution, as all French monasteries were ordered dissolved in February 1790. The museum exhibits at St Rémi include tapestries from the 16th century given by Robert de Lenoncourt, marble capitals from the 4th century AD, furniture, jewellery, pottery, weapons and glasswork from the 6th to 8th century, medieval sculpture, the façade of the 13th century Musicians' House, remnants from an earlier abbey building, and also exhibits of Gallo-Roman arts and crafts and a room of pottery, jewellery, and weapons from Gallic civilization, as well as an exhibit of items from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic period.

Buried in the monastery are the archbishops of Reims, and several kings and princes.

Carloman King (751-771), Charlemagne's brother
Queen Frederonne d. 917, wife of Charles III (879-929)
Queen Gerberge of Saxony (910-984), wife of King Louis IV
Henri d'Orléans (d. about 1653)
Lothair I, (941-986)
King Louis IV (921-954)