Rheims and the Battles for its Possession Part 8

=The Interior of the Northern Transept=

(_See plan, p. 33, and the Exterior, p. 42._)

The inner facade is partially hidden by the great organ, built about 1487 and transformed several times since then. Of the original organ the loft only remains, the Gothic bal.u.s.trading of which is pierced with Flamboyant arcading.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE NORTHERN TRANSEPT _(see p. 33)_]

The facade originally consisted of three lofty bays with lancet-shaped windows surmounted by a gallery lighted by three rose-windows of six lobes each and one of twelve lobes. The subsequent addition of a doorway about the _middle_ of the 13th century caused the partial suppression of the bays, of which the transformed summits alone remain.

Almost all the high windows of the transept contained 13th century _grisaille_ gla.s.s, which was damaged or broken by the bombardments, as was also the 13th century stained-gla.s.s of the great rose-window (repaired in 1869), which represented _The Story of the Creation_ and _The Fall of Adam_.

The reverse side of the Central Door is bare, except the dividing pillar, the statue of which is hidden by the 18th century wooden tambour.

The small western side-door, which formerly communicated with the cloister of the Chapter, is entirely covered with 18th century woodwork.

The adjoining bay, closed in by a beautiful 13th century wrought-iron railing, is the old chartulary or muniment room of the Chapter. Near the railing, in the corner of the transept, is a clock with automatons, which come out when the hours strike. Its woodwork is 14th and 15th century and its works 17th and 18th century.

To the right of the door of the organ stair, a =tombstone= to =Hugues Libergier= was set up against the wall. He was the architect who, in 1231, commenced the abbatial church of St. Nicaise. The tombstone has been in the Cathedral since 1800. The altar in the Lady-Chapel, surmounted with a statue by Francois Ladatte (1742), replaced a Gothic altar-screen destroyed in 1739.

The picture _The Was.h.i.+ng of the Disciples' Feet_ is by Jerome Muziano.

On the western walls of the transept is a fine tapestry, the pendant of which is in the south transept. These two great tapestries, made at the Gobelins, after cartoons by Raphael, represent the life of St. Paul.

They were removed in 1914, at the same time as those in the aisles.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE VAULTING OF THE CHOIR FELL IN ON THE HIGH ALTAR _The photo on p. 31 shows the collapse, seen from above._]

=The Choir=

(_See the Chevet, p. 46._)

The ambulatory with its radiating chapels is of incomparable beauty.

Excepting the larger central chapel, known as the _Chapel of the Holy Sacrament_, which is nine-sided, each chapel has seven sides rising from a circular floor.

In each chapel, three windows similar to those of the nave, light the three hindmost walls. Blind windows imitate the true ones on the side walls.

At the base of the windows a narrow gallery, pa.s.sing through the pillars, continues all along the side-aisles of the transept and nave--a peculiarity in Champagne architecture.

The 13th century stained-gla.s.s of the high windows was destroyed by the bombardment of September 19, 1914.

In April, 1917, part of the vaulting fell in on the High Altar (_photo above_).

The costly marble High Altar was erected in 1747 by Canon G.o.dinot, who spent considerable sums in making alterations to the Cathedral, not all of which were happy. Its six chandeliers date from the consecration of Charles X.

The High Altar of the rear choir dates from 1764 and came from the Church of St. Nicaise. On either side of this altar are two 14th century tumulary stones. Behind is the tomb of Cardinal de Lorraine.

The small pulpit of the rear choir, the medallions of which depict the life of St. Theresa, dates from 1678. It is a gift of the widow of M.

Pommery (_photo below_).

Twenty-two archbishops of Rheims were buried under the choir pavement.

Their tombstones were removed in 1747. The present flag-stones came from the old church of St. Nicaise.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE SMALL PULPIT IN THE REAR CHOIR]

The archbishop's throne, by Viollet-le-Duc, was destroyed by the fire of 1914, together with the 18th century stalls.

The railings (1826-1832) replaced, not very happily, an ancient stone rood-loft destroyed in 1761.

=The Interior of the Southern Transept=

(_See plan, p. 33, and the Exterior, p. 47_)

A gap was made in the vaulting by the bombardment of April 19, 1917.

The arrangement of the inner facade is similar to that of the northern transept, except that the three high bays with lancet windows, which are partially hidden in the northern transept, are here entirely visible.

The stained-gla.s.s of the rose-window, destroyed by a hurricane in 1580, was replaced in 1581 by the Rheims artist Nicolas Derode. It represents the Eternal Father surrounded by the twelve apostles.

In the Rosary Chapel is a Renaissance altar-screen (1541), attributed to the Rheims sculptor Pierre Jacques. The general scheme represents _The dead body of Christ on the knees of the Virgin_, and above, _Christ coming forth from the sepulchre_. It was a gift of Canon Paul Grandraoul, who is shown on his knees before Mary Magdalene.

The Roman mosaic work in the centre of the chapel was discovered in the courtyard of the archbishop's palace in 1849. Among the most remarkable scenes are: _Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene_, attributed to t.i.tian; _Christ with the angels_, by Thaddeo Zuccaro; _The Nativity_, attributed to Tintoret; _Manna in the Desert_, attributed to Nicolas Poussin.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ST. REMI'S CHALICE. (_Cliche LL._)]

=The Cathedral Treasure=

This is kept in a sacristy built by Viollet-le-Duc, which is reached through a plain door in the southern facade of the transept.

The treasure, which is very rich in precious reliquaries, chalices, and other pieces of goldsmith's work, was saved from the fire of September 19, 1914, by the Cure of the Cathedral and one of his abbes. After being temporarily placed in the house of the Cardinal, it was evacuated in 1915, at the order of the Historical Monuments Department.

Among the best known of these art treasures are the Chalice of St. Remi and St. Ursula's Skiff.

The =Chalice of St. Remi=, with its gold filagree work, six rows of chasing, and precious stones set in a _collier_, is a remarkable work of art. It was in this chalice that, by special privilege, the kings of France communicated in wine at the conclusion of their consecration.

Tradition has it that the gold of which it is made was that of the Soissons Vase, whereas in reality it is 12th century. Confiscated in 1793 and deposited in the _Bibliotheque Nationale_, it was restored to the Cathedral by Napoleon III.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ST. URSULA'S SKIFF. (_Cliche LL._)]

=St. Ursula's Skiff= is a reliquary given by Henri III. It represents a s.h.i.+p carved out of cornelian, floating on a sea of enamel. The s.h.i.+p, whose mast bears the royal crown, is adorned with the escutcheons of France and Poland, and contains eleven small figures. That of St. Ursula is said to be the portrait of the Queen of France.

Amongst the other remarkable works of art in the Treasure are the following: the _reliquaries_ of Archbishop Samson, St. Sixtus (12th century), St. Peter and St. Paul (14th century), and the Holy Sepulchre (16th century); a _monstrance_ of gilt copper (13th century); a _liturgical comb_ of ivory, said to have belonged to St. Bernard (12th century); a rock-crystal _cross_, which formerly belonged to Cardinal de Lorraine; _orfrays_ embroidered with silver thread (13th century); the _credence_ and _oil vessels_ of Abbot de la Salle; a _fragment_ of a carved wood crozier (incorrectly said to be the crozier of St.

Gibrien), two other fragments of which are in the Town Museum (12th century); the _vases_, _utensils_, and _sacred ornaments_ which were used at the consecration of Charles X.; the _reliquary_ of the Sacred Ampulla, designed by Lafitte for the consecration of Charles X. The original Sacred Ampulla was broken in 1793. The present one, which has only served for the consecration of Charles X., is a replica said to have been made with the few drops of balsam of the Clovis Ampulla, which pious hands saved from the broken fragments of the sacred vessel.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CASKET OF THE SACRED AMPULLA. (_Cliche LL._)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FRAGMENTS SAVED FROM THE RUINS. (_Cliche LL._)]

[Ill.u.s.tration (Map)]