Part 6

=The Place Royale=

The Place Royale, which had previously suffered severely on September 19-22, 1914, was completely destroyed by fire, with the exception of the modern buildings of the Societe Generale Bank, during the bombardment of April 8-15, 1918.

Commenced in 1756, from plans by the architect Legendre, it formed an oblong, of severe and imposing appearance, at the cross-ways of the four main streets of the City. In order to carry out Legendre's plans, forty-nine houses had to be acquired and pulled down. The Square remained unfinished, only three of its sides being built. The Louis XV.-XVI. transition style houses were of uniform construction, and were remarkable for their arcades and eaveless roofs, around which latter ran a balustrade. The central house (formerly the _Hotel des Fermes_) had a Doric front with a statue of Mercury surrounded by children arranging bales or carrying grapes to the wine-press. A =statue of Louis XV.=, in the middle of the Square, was protected from the bombardments by masonry-work (_photos, p. 78 and below_).

The monarch is represented in a Roman mantle and laurel wreath. On either side of the pedestal are two allegorical bronze figures. One, a woman, holding a helm with one hand and leading a lion with the other, symbolizes _gentleness of Government_; the other, a contented man resting in the midst of abundance, represents _the happiness of nations_. The wolf and the lamb sleeping side by side at their feet are symbolical of the Golden Age.

The monument, inaugurated in 1765, is the work of Pigalle, but the two allegorical figures, which are supposed to be portraits of the sculptor and his wife, alone are original.

The original statue of Louis XV. was removed at the time of the Revolution (August 15, 1792), and sent to the foundry. It was first replaced by a pyramid surmounted by a "Fame," in memory of the defenders of the _Patrie_, then by a plaster Goddess of Liberty, and in 1803 by a trophy of arms and flags. The present statue, erected under Louis XVIII. (1818), is due to the sculptor Cartellier, and is an exact replica of the original one.

It was on the steps of the monument that the Conventionist Ruhl smashed the Sacred Ampulla under the Revolution.

_From the Place Royale, return to the Market Square, cross over to the Rue de Tambour (parallel with the Rue Colbert)._

The Rue de Tambour owes its name either to the statue of a tambourine-player on one of its houses, or to the presence of the town-drummer who lived in it. It was first damaged, then burnt, in April, 1918.

Previous to 1918, old houses in this street were still numerous. The most celebrated was the now completely destroyed =Musicians' House= (_photo above_), the true origin of which is unknown.

It has variously been supposed to have been the house of a rich burgess, of the Tom Fiddlers' Brotherhood, and the Mint of the Archbishops of Rheims. The first storey of the facade had been preserved intact since the 13th century. In the Gothic niches which separated the mullioned and transomed windows, five large seated figures on carved consoles (_photo above_) represented _a tambourine and flute player_, _a piper_, _a falconer_ with crossed legs, _a harpist_ and _an organ-grinder_ crowned with a garland of flowers. The falcon on the wrist of the central figure was removed by the organisers of the consecration of Charles X., as it was feared that the royal banners might get caught on it.

Fortunately, these statues, which are remarkable for their natural expression and vigour were removed to a place of safety before the house was destroyed.

Thanks to a public subscription, the town was able to acquire them shortly before the war, thus preventing them from being sold abroad.

The cellars of this house are curious, but there exists no proof that they date back, as has been said, to the Roman period.

The adjoining house (No. 22) is 14th century, and probably dates back to about the end of the reign of Philippe-le-Bel. Its front has been greatly spoilt, but still contains a fine door surmounted by an elliptical arch (_photo above_).

At No. 13 of this street, two 13th century carved heads, one of a man and the other of a woman wearing one of the mortar-shaped hats in fashion until the end of the reign of St. Louis, have been built into the facade.

_At the end of the Rue de Tambour, take the Rue de Mars, on the right of the Hotel-de-Ville, at the end of which, on the left, stands the Triumphal Arch of the_ =Mars Gate=.

=The Mars Gate=

This monument was long believed to be a Roman =gate=--hence its name--although the ornamentation of its four sides proves that it cannot originally have been connected with the ramparts. It was only in the Middle Ages that it was included in the fortified castle (_photo, p. 6_) built by the archbishops a few steps to the rear. About 1334 its arcades were walled up, while towards 1554 it was buried under a mass of rubbish during the building of the fortifications. Partly disinterred in 1594, when the archbishops' castle was pulled down, it was not completely cleared until 1816-1817. Restored, then classed as an _historical monument_ (thanks to Prosper Merimee), it is one of the largest Roman structures remaining in France. Forty-four feet high, one hundred and eight wide, and sixteen thick, it was really a triumphal arch built on the Caesarean Way at the entrance to the town, probably in the 4th century. It comprises three arches separated by fluted Corinthian columns which support the entablature. On the two main facades between the columns are carved medallions and niches which have lost their statues. The vaulting of the arches is divided into sunken panels, the carving of which is mostly in a good state of preservation. Under the eastern arch _Romulus and Remus_ are seen suckled by the she-wolf. Under the middle arch, the twelve months of the year, represented by persons (five of whom have been destroyed), occupied in the labours of the four seasons, surround Abundance and Fortune. Under the western arch Love is seen descending from the sky above Leda and the Swan.

_Behind the Mars Gate is the Place de la Republique, containing_ a statue by Bartholdi, damaged by shell-fire. _In front of the Gate, take the Rue Henri IV., leading behind the Hotel-de-Ville, then turn to the left into the Rue de Sedan._ The house at No. 3 was destroyed by shells, except the =Louis XVI. front= with its gracefully carved garlands, which escaped injury.

_Take the Rue du Grenier-a-Sel, on the right, to the_ =Hotel Noel de Muire=, _on the left, at the corner of the Rue Linguet._

This house consists of the remains of a sort of Henry II. manor with turrets and dormer-windows. The walls, rounded at the corners like those of the Templars, are of brick and dressed stone. The plinth separating the two stories is decorated with carved wreathed foliage. Fret-work and hexagonal points frame the windows, while a broad cornice on consoles carries the roof. Formerly the residence of the lords of Muire, this house was popularly known as the _Maison des Petits Pates_, on account of the polygonal shape of the stones in relief. Theodore de Beze, one of the leaders of the Reformation in France, lived there with his friend, Noel de Muire.

_Take the Rue du Marc, which continues the Rue du Grenier-a-Sel (photo above)._

The =Rue du Marc= was the quarter where the old noble families and the higher _bourgeoisie_ of Rheims lived. It suffered considerably from the bombardments.

At No. 3 is a Henry IV. house, the windows of which are framed with graceful ornamentation (_photo below_).

However, the most remarkable house in the street is undoubtedly the =Hotel Nicolas le Vergeur= (No. 1), which, unfortunately, was partly destroyed by the shells (_see p. 85_).

=The Hotel Nicolas Le Vergeur=

The interior building, which has a 17th century carriage entrance, offers two fine examples of 15th and 16th century architecture. It is the finest Renaissance structure in Rheims. The main front, incomparably the most graceful, was but little damaged by the bombardments (_photo below_).

On the ground-floor the great arched doorway is divided by a wooden post into two delicately carved compartments. Pilasters decorated with heads, flowers, birds, and horns of plenty frame the three stone-mullioned windows. Above these runs a frieze of trophies and medallions, with portraits of noble lords with upturned moustaches and pointed beards, and of great ladies with _collerettes_ and high head-dresses, gracious or haughty, standing well out in relief.

On the first storey, carved panels above the window form a sort of broad frieze of bas-reliefs representing men-at-arms or knights of the time of Francois I. and Henri II. fighting at tournaments with lance, sword, or pike.

In one of the rooms overlooking the Rue Pluche were, a fine stone _mantelpiece_ decorated with graceful delicate foliage; a timber-work _ceiling_ with large and small beams, carrying panels decorated with scrolls, and 15th century _tile-flooring_ of terra-cotta, varnished and painted green and yellow.

At the back of the courtyard, a building, supposed by some to be an old chapel, had been transformed into vast cellars and store-rooms. The _oaken ceiling_ of the latter, about fifty feet long and twenty-one broad, destroyed in 1918, was one of the most beautiful in the world. The beams, whose extremities carried grotesque figures, were carved on all their sides with foliage, dragons, birds, and fruits. The beams were connected by joists resting on stems, which represented apes, dragons, persons, and foliage. Between the joists the panels had the appearance of scrolls.

_After visiting the Hotel Le Vergeur, turn to the right into the Rue Pluche, which leads to the Place des Marches. Skirt the Square on the left, then take the first street on the left_: =Rue Courmeaux=.

_At No. 18 are the_ ruins of the =Hotel Rogier de Monclin=, destroyed after April, 1918. This house dated back to the Louis XV. period, but had been disfigured by modern alterations. The facade overlooking the courtyard, the entrance-hall, and the staircase with ornamental balustrade, were interesting. At the time of the consecration of Louis XVI., one of the saloons was furnished for the King's brother, the Comte (or _Monsieur_) d'Artois, whence the name "_Rue de Monsieur_," formerly borne by the Rue Courmeaux.

_At No. 30_ is a Renaissance door, almost intact (_photo below_). _At No. 34, at the corner of the Rue Legendre_, is a late 16th century house, whose interior arrangement and facade are intact, except for the woodwork of the windows, which was modernised in the 18th century. It was built on the site of the old wool-market, after Marshal de Saint-Paul, at the time of the League, had compelled the inhabitants of the Faubourg Ceres to destroy their houses.

_Return to the Rue Courmeaux and take the Rue Bonhomme on the left, which leads to the Rue Ceres._

The =Rue Ceres= was totally destroyed by fire, from the Place Royale to the Post Office, which had to be given up in the autumn of 1914.

_At No. 30_ is the =Chamber of Commerce=, one of the finest late 18th century buildings in Rheims. The magnificent Louis XVI. rooms escaped practically uninjured. The staircase leading to the first storey, with its delicate balustrade, is very remarkable.

_The Rue Ceres ends at the Esplanade Ceres_ (_photo, p. 87_), which was made outside the old ramparts near the Ceres Gate. The name Ceres is derived from a tower that long served as a prison (_carcer_, whence by corruption _chair_, _cere_, and then by false mythological association, _Ceres_). It was in this tower (no longer existing, but famous as early as the 9th century) that, according to the _chansons de geste_, Ogier the Dane, handed over by Charlemagne to the custody of the Bishop of Rheims, was incarcerated.

_From the Esplanade continue, if desired, by the Rue du Faubourg Ceres_ (greatly damaged by the bombardments), to the =Church of St. Andre=, a modern building erected by the architect Brunette.

It was struck several times by shells and will have to be rebuilt. As early as the first bombardment of September 4th, 1914, shell splinters damaged the doorway, transept, stained glass (part of which was 16th century and came from the old church), small organ, and the painting of the _Baptism of Clovis_. Subsequently, the vaulting and parts of the walls collapsed.

The Church possesses a precious =reliquary= of copper (15th century) and a =statue of St. Andre= (patron of the church) of painted and gilded stone, attributed without authority, to Pierre Jacques.

_Return to the Esplanade Ceres, turn to the left at the beginning of the Boulevard de la Paix, then to the right into the_ =Rue Eugene Desteuque=.

_At No. 19 of this street_ are the ruins of the =Hotel Thiret de Prain=.

=The Hotel Thiret de Prain=

This was a mansion in the days of Henry IV. and Louis XIII. Richelieu stayed there in 1641.

An imposing building, bordered with streets on its four sides, it had retained its original appearance. The carriage-entrance in the Rue Eugene Desteuque alone had been rebuilt in 1697. The principal entrance was surmounted with a gallery, the walls, ceiling and beams of which were covered with delicate decorative paintings.

On the first floor one of the corner rooms, looking east, contained a large Henry IV. mantelpiece, above which were the arms of the nobles of Prain. Only the metallic portion remains.

The dove-cot of the Hotel, a massive square tower with pent-house roof, overlooking the Rue d'Avenay, was destroyed by the bombardments.

_On the left of the Rue Eugene-Desteuque, opposite the Hotel Thiret-de-Prain, is the_ Rue des Trois-Raisinets. At No. 9 are the ruins of a Franciscan Cloister (_photo above_).

This street (_photo below_), like the Cloister, suffered severely from the bombardments.

_Return to the Rue Eugene-Desteuque and follow the same as far as the_ Rue de la Grue (_on the right_). This street was badly damaged by shell-fire and is impracticable for motor-cars.

It was named after the sign carved on a stone (_photo, p. 91_) of the house at No. 5 (entirely destroyed by the shells). At the end stood the house where J. B. Colbert was born (at the corner of the Rues Ceres and de Nanteuil, _photo below_).

_Return to the Rue Eugene-Desteuque, follow it as far as the_ Rue de l'Universite. _Turn into the latter on the left._

This street was destroyed as early as September, 1914. At No. 25 are the ruins of a Professional School for Girls, formerly the St. Martha Hospital. The latter, also known as the "Hopital des Magneuses," was founded in the 17th century by Mesdames de Magneux, and rebuilt in the 18th century in the Louis XVI. style.

At No. 40, opposite the Sub-Prefecture, now in ruins, is the =Maison de Jean Maillefer=, named after the rich merchant who built it in 1652. It was scarcely finished, when it was chosen--and this was a source of pride to its owner--as an abode for Anne of Austria, at the time of the consecration of Louis XIV. The inside of the courtyard alone has retained practically its ancient appearance. The front looking on the street had recently been put back and altered. Some of the sculpture which adorned it came from another house.

_A short distance farther on, on the left, is the_ Place Godinot, named after a canon of the 18th century, who caused numerous alterations to be made in the decoration of the choir and sanctuary of the Cathedral.

_Take the Rue St. Just on the right, and follow its continuation_ (_the Rue des Anglais_) as far as the Rue d'Anjou, _which take on the right_.

The =Hotel de la Pourcelette= (No. 7) evokes memories of _Mabillon_, who lived there when a young student at the University of Rheims.

_At the end of the Rue d'Anjou, turn to the left into the Rue du Cardinal de Lorraine, and follow the same to the short_ Rue des Tournelles _on the left_.

In the house at No. 3 of this street were incorporated the turret and two principal windows of an old Gothic 16th century structure, situated at No. 18 of the Rue des Anglais, and in ruins since 1898. The drawing-room likewise contains a large stone chimney-piece, which formerly stood in the great hall of the old house.

_At the end of the Rue des Tournelles, turn to the right into the Rue des Fusiliers, which leads to the Place du Parvis. Cross the latter to the Rue Tronson Ducoudray. Follow this street, which runs between the_ Palais de Justice _and_ _the_ Theatre, _turn to the left, in front of the latter, into the Rue de Vesle, and take the first street on the right_, the Rue de Talleyrand.

_Follow this street_, the greater part of which was destroyed by fire during the bombardments of April, 1918. It suffered further damage in the months that followed, and a number of interesting old houses were destroyed.

_Turn into the first street on the right (Rue du Cadran St. Pierre), and follow the same as far as the Rue de la Clef. Take the latter on the right._

Before doing so, however, take a look at the =fine Louis XIII. entrance= (_photo, p. 92_) of the house at No. 20 of the Rue du Carrouge opposite.

_At No. 4 of the Rue de la Clef are the_ ruins of the former =Hotel de Bezannes=, partly built by Pierre de Bezannes, Lieutenant of Rheims in 1458 This house contains some fine 16th and 18th century woodwork.

_The Rue des Deux Anges, which continues the Rue de la Clef, leads to the_ Place du Palais, destroyed during the bombardments of April, 1918. _In this square stands the_ =Palais de Justice=. The _Palais_ replaced the old Hotel-Dieu, but has been almost entirely rebuilt. It is a building of little note, the principal entrance in particular being stiff to excess.

Its only interest is provided by two relics of the past: the vast cellars or subterranean vaults with pointed arches supported by columns with Gothic capitals; and the facade of the Audience-Chamber, formerly the principal ward of the old Hotel Dieu, the exterior of which has retained its venerable appearance and the interior, vestiges of its lofty timber-work and wainscoted vaulting.

The ground-floor of the _Palais_ alone escaped damage from fire and the shells, thanks to a terrace of reinforced concrete.

_On the left of the Palais take the Rue Carnot_, destroyed by the bombardments of April, 1918.

The Rue Carnot communicates with the courtyard of the Chapter-House, also burnt, by a great gate and passage which pass right through a house.

This entrance was built about 1530, in the transition style between the Gothic and Renaissance. Its elliptical arch bears a scutcheon with the arms of the Chapter. Consoles, decorated with grotesque figures, support the beams. The points of the turrets have disappeared, a supporting shaft has been mutilated, and the carved wooden leaves of the door have been removed to the Lycee, yet the gate is still imposing.

It is the last remaining vestige of the Chapter buildings which, with their gates closing at the same time as those of the city, at the sound of the bell, formed a "city within a city." In point of fact, the Chapter was once lord of that part of the city which lies around the Cathedral, and which it administered. The canons, jealous of their prerogatives, were often in conflict with the archbishops.

A few capitals and shafts of the ancient cloister of the Chapter, adjoining the Cathedral, were recently discovered and placed under one of the penthouses built between the buttresses of Notre-Dame.

_Go through the gate, cross the Place du Chapitre, follow the Rue du Preau towards the Cathedral, then turn to the right into the Rue Robert de Coucy, which leads back to the Place du Parvis Notre-Dame._

=SECOND ITINERARY FOR VISITING RHEIMS=

_Starting from the Place du Parvis-Notre-Dame, take the Rue Libergier, opposite the Cathedral. Turn to the left into the_ Rue Chanzy, which was destroyed by the bombardments of April-August, 1918.

The ruins of the 18th century =Hotel Lagoille de Courtagnon= may be seen at No. 71 of this street. It was destroyed by the bombardments of April, 1918, with the exception of a part of the front. The finely carved door and remarkable ironwork of the balcony are visible in the above photograph.

The =Hospice Noel Caque= (formerly Hospice St. Marcoul), _on the right_, was seriously damaged by the bombardments of April, 1918. It dated from the middle of the 17th century, and was well preserved, with the exception of the chapel, rebuilt in 1873.