The Reims Cathedral

After the initial culture shock of living in Reims, I began to get used to my new surroundings, such as walking on the cobblestone streets, passing by the ancient French buildings, and hearing the chatter of old French couples as they took their daily stroll through the neighborhood. But the one thing that I never truly got used to seeing was the Reims Cathedral.

For such a small town, Reims has a lot of history–the Cathedral is just one example, but perhaps the most well known. The "Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims" was built in the 13th century and was used as the site to crown French kings starting with Louis VIII in 1223 until Charles X in 1825.  

 

 The Cathedral itself is massive as it stands over 200 feet tall and is almost 500 feet long.

The facade of the Cathedral is my favorite part because it is decorated with 2300 intricate statues of biblical figures and kings.

The inside of the building is equally as breathtaking. There are stained glass windows throughout, including the rose windows, depicted above, that were saved when the Cathedral was bombed during World War I. 

I walked by this Cathedral at least once or twice a week, but every time I turned the corner and saw it, I had to take a second to appreciate this magnificent building that towers over the city of Reims. 

[Sources: Walking on Travels, France.fr, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and The New York Times].