The Basilica of Saint-Remi (french: Basilique Saint-Remi) is a medieval
abbey church in
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
, France (Rue Simon).
It was founded in the 11th century "over the chapel of St. Christophe where
St. Remi
Remigius (french: Remi or ; – January 13, 533), was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important event ...
was buried."
It is "the largest
Romanesque church in northern France, though with later additions."
The church has been a ''
monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
'' since 1840,
and a
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991 as a part of
Cathedral of Notre-Dame,
former Abbey of Saint-Remi and
Palace of Tau.
History
The Basilica of Saint-Remi dates from the 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th centuries. The eleventh-century
nave and
transepts, in the
Romanesque style, are the oldest; the façade of the south transept is the most recent. Most of the construction of the church finished in the 11th century, with additions made later. The
nave and
transepts,
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
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.
The Basilica of Saint-Remi was consecrated by
Pope Leo IX in 1049.
The 17th and 19th centuries saw further additions. The building suffered greatly in
World War I; the meticulous restoration work of architect Henri Deneux (1874–1969) rebuilt it from its ruins over the following 40 years. it remains 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.
Several royal and archepiscopal figures lie buried in the basilica, but in unidentified graves. They include:
*
Carloman King of the Franks (751–771; reigned 768–771), the brother of
Charlemagne
*
Queen Frederonne (died 917), wife of
Charles III (879–929)
*
Gerberga of Saxony (910–984), wife of Louis IV (King of Western Francia from 936 to 954)
* Henri d'Orléans (died about 1653)
*
Lothair I
Lothair I or Lothar I (Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario'') (795 – 29 September 855) was emperor (817–855, co-ruling with his father until 840), and the governor of Bavar ...
, (941–986), King of Western Francia from 954 to 986
*
Louis IV (King of Western Francia from 936 to 954)
Gallery
Reims - basilique Saint-Remi (12).JPG, Inside view
Reims Basilique St Remi 07.JPG, Inside view
References
External links
La basilique et l'ancienne abbaye Saint-Remi
{{Authority control
Basilica churches in France
Burial sites of the Carolingian dynasty
Monuments historiques of Grand Est
Roman Catholic churches in Reims
World Heritage Sites in France