Le Château d'Etoges

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Notre-Dame de Reims, a Gothic chef d'oeuvre

Built during the 13th century, a time when church established its authority and power through grandiose constructions, the Cathedral of Reims is a major achievement. The history of the cathedral is tightly linked to that of the Kings' coronation. There, Clovis, first King of the Frank people, was baptised in 498. Among his successors to the throne of France, let us mention Charles VII led by Joan of Arc to be crowned in 1429. Charles X was the last to be coronated, in 1825. Remarkable for the purity of its architecture, inside with its three levels nave, outside with the double flying butresses, Notre-Dame de Reims offers a fabulously rich statuary, particularly so on its western façade – an architectural jewel of the 13th century. The statues allow one to follow the evolution of the religious thought. The celebrated Smiling Angel, with his flowing silhouette so elegantly draped in his garment, illustrates the original style of Champagne.