Part 8

These 14th century lozenge-shaped stones are engraved in black, the hollowed-out portions being filled with lead. Each stone has a pretty border with a square medallion, in the middle of which two or three figures represent a scene from the Old Testament, from Noah to Daniel in the lions' den.

This chapel also contained two very expressive mediaeval statues of painted wood and a 14th century Christ, all of which came from the old church of St. Balsamic.

The second chapel on the eastern side of the south transept contained an Entombment dating from 1531. In this group, which belonged to the old church of the Commandery of the Temple of Rheims, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus hold the winding-sheet. Salome, and Mary the mother of St. James, stand near the tomb, while the Virgin, overcome with grief, is supported by St. John.

Facing this Burial Scene was the Altar-screen of the Three Baptisms, the work of Nicolas Jacques and the gift of Jean Lespagnol in 1610. This screen, which formed the background of the baptismal fonts, represented in three bas-reliefs: The baptism of Clovis (_on the right_), the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (_in the centre_), and the baptism of Constantine (_on the left_).

The railing round the baptismal fonts belongs to the second half of the 18th century, and was taken from the church of St. Pierre-le-Vieil.

=The Choir of St. Remi Church=

The Choir was rebuilt by Pierre de Celle. The plan is very like that of the choir of the Cathedral, of which it is the prototype.

As in the Cathedral, it intrudes upon the nave, of which it occupies the three last bays. In the latter, the columns placed against the six piers were removed. The groups of small columns which support the ribs of the vaulting rest upon a corbel-table carried by three consoles (_photo above_), which in turn rest on colonnettes with crocketed capitals. The central consoles are ornamented with figures of angels and symbolic animals, while under the lateral consoles are statuettes of prophets holding scrolls, on which their names are inscribed in painted letters.

Five circular radiating chapels open out on the vast ambulatory. The plan of the latter, like that of Notre-Dame-de-Chalons, evokes all that is most original in the Gothic architecture of Champagne. The bays with their alternations of square-ogival and triangular vaulting do not correspond with the breadth of the radiating chapels, which are connected to one another by three arcades resting on light columns. In the lower nave, from the curiously large number of points of support, it would seem that the builders had doubts as to the strength of the pointed style and, by way of precaution, greatly increased the number of points of support inside the church and of the exterior buttresses. The tribunes rising above the arcades are surmounted with a triforium lighted by high windows, which still retain their beautiful early 18th century stained-glass. The somewhat stiff figures stand out on a uniformly blue ground. In the upper part, apostles, evangelists, and the sixteen greater prophets are grouped around a stately Virgin. In the lower part, the principal archbishops of Rheims on thrones are seated round St. Remi who occupies the place of honour below the Virgin. In the two last windows are effigies of Archbishops Samson (_deceased in 1161_) and Henry of France, during whose episcopate Pierre de Celle caused the apse to be built.

The choir is surrounded by a Renaissance railing which is out of harmony with the general scheme. It was erected between 1656 and 1669, at the joint expense of the widow of the famous barrister Omer Talon, the Town Council, the Duke of Longueville, and the Grand Prior of St. Remi. The sculptor Francois Jacques seems to have co-operated therewith.

The great _crown of light_ hanging at the entrance to the choir was an imitation of the original crown, destroyed in 1793, and which was garnished with ninety-six candles, symbolizing the ninety-six years of St. Remi's life (_see p. 108_).

The 18th century high-altar of red marble which, like the cross and the six chandeliers, came from the church of the Minims, was crushed beneath the falling vaulting.

At the time of the Revolution (1792) the chandelier (masterpiece of the old Rheims metal-founders), which adorned the centre of the Sanctuary, was broken and melted down, with the exception of a portion of one of the feet. This fragment (_photo above_), preserved in the Archaeological Museum, was destroyed by the bombardment of 1914.

=The Tomb and Reliquary of St. Remi=

The present tomb, erected in 1847, is only a memorial of the sumptuous mausoleum, profusely decorated with gold medals, diamonds and sapphires, which was destroyed at the time of the Revolution.

It is a Renaissance chapel, ornamented with the statues of the original tomb, which form by far the most interesting part of the monument. The twelve Peers are represented in their coronation robes: the Archbishop, Duke of Rheims, carries the Cross; the Archbishop, Duke of Laon, the sceptre; the Bishop, Count of Beauvais, the royal mantle; the Bishop, Count of Chalons, the ring; the Bishop, Count of Noyon, the girdle; the Duke of Burgundy, the crown; the Duke of Aquitaine, the standard; the Duke of Normandy, a second standard; the Count of Flanders, the sword; the Count of Toulouse, the spurs; the Count of Champagne, the military standard of the King.

The Reliquary of St. Remi, which is in the mausoleum, dates from 1896. It was bought by national subscription and presented to the church on the occasion of the centenary of the baptism of Clovis. In the niches of the lower part of the reliquary are statuettes of the twelve apostles. Higher up, in the recesses of the long sides, enamels illustrating episodes in the life of St. Remi are imbedded. On the two ends, two enamels represent the Battle of Tolbiac and the Baptism of Clovis.

_Leave the Church of St. Remi by the western doorway, which faces the Place de l'Hopital civil, cross the square, then turn to the right into the Rue Simon. The entrance to the_ Hotel-Dieu Hospital _is on the right_.

=The Hotel-Dieu=

This hospital is installed in the buildings of the ancient Abbey of the Benedictine monks of St. Remi who, for centuries, were the guardians of the relics of the famous Bishop of Rheims.

During the invasion, at the time of the Revolution, the Abbey was transformed into a military hospital, but it was only in 1827 that it became officially the _Hotel-Dieu,_ in place of the old Municipal Hospital (_see "Palais de Justice" p. 93_). The furnishings of the latter were then transferred to the Abbey buildings, disaffected since the Restoration.

Of the ancient abbey, where _Charles-le-Simple_ and the _Duc Robert_ were proclaimed king, and where several archbishops were elected, only a few vestiges remain. Damaged by the fires of 1098, 1481, and 1751, it was completely destroyed by the great conflagration of January 15, 1774. The present abbey, rebuilt by Duroche, the King's architect, was scarcely finished when the Revolution broke out.

Incendiary bombs dropped by German aeroplanes in August, 1916, destroyed most of the buildings.

The monumental facade which faces the Court of Honour is Louis XVI. in style.

The second court, that behind the main buildings, is bordered by a cloister built by the Rheims architect, Nicolas Bonhomme, in the first part of the 18th century, in place of the 13th and 14th century cloister destroyed in 1707. The buttresses of the side which abuts on the church of St. Remi, and those of the opposite side, are 12th century.

The marble fountain with bronze furnishings, in the centre of the court, was formerly in the Place St. Nicaise. It was erected in 1750 from designs by _Coustou_.

_At the back of the court, on the left_, is an exceedingly fine Louis XVI. staircase with wrought-iron handrail (_photo above_).

The =Lapidary Museum=, which was formerly in the crypt of the archi-episcopal chapel (_see p. 65_), was installed under one of the galleries of the cloister in 1896. Of the tombstones, storied floor-tiles, and various carvings which it contains, the most remarkable is the =Tomb of Jovinus=.

Consul in 367, Jovinus commanded the armies in Gaul, under the Emperor Julian, and successfully resisted three attempts at invasion by the Alemanni. As a Christian, he founded a basilica at Rheims.

The white marble tomb with carvings is apparently Graeco-Roman of the 3rd century, and dates back before the time of Jovinus, who died in 370. It is possible that Jovinus had the first occupant of the tomb ejected, or that he bought an old sarcophagus and had his own portrait affixed to it.

The chapel installed in the old library of the abbey contained some fine Louis XVI. wood carvings (_see photo below of the ruins of the chapel_).

The =chapter-house= of the abbey, which served as a refectory, was rebuilt about the end of the 12th century. With its pointed arches, it belonged to the early period of Gothic architecture. The most remarkable portion was the vestibule facing the cloister. The decoration of the lateral arcades of the vestibule included Roman capitals, nearly all of which are intact (_photo below_), and which are of great value from the standpoint of the history of art and costumes. In the refectory were the _Godard_ tables made out of a single branch of a gigantic oak-tree from the forest of St. Basle. They were given to the old _Hotel-Dieu_ by Canon Godard, whose name is incrusted in lead in the wood, as a rebus: _Go_, followed by the figure of a dart (French: _dard_).

Near the chapter-house, a round-arched chamber was all that remained of the early portion of the abbey.

_After visiting the Hotel-Dieu, follow the Rue Simon, which skirts the Ecole de Medecine, then turn to the right into the Rue St. Remi. At the end of same, take the Rue Gambetta on the left, and follow it as far as the_ =Hopital General= _on the right._

=The Hopital General=

This is the old Order-House of the Jesuits, built at the beginning of the 17th century. The =refectory= is ornamented with rich woodwork and paintings, by the Rheims artist Helart. Of greater interest is the _library_, situated under the gables, and which is reached by a fine staircase. The room is adorned with a profusion of wood-carvings and mouldings. Exceedingly fine consoles carry the ceiling, whose carved panels are profusely ornamented with crowns, polygons, florets and heads of angels. The oaken pilasters which separate the bookshelves are decorated with a variety of leaves and flowers. In spite of this wealth of ornament, the general effect is harmonious. The recesses in the woodwork, opposite the dummy dormer-windows, were for reading.

Ancient vines cover the walls of the chapel, near the entrance to the _hopital_.

_At the side of the Hopital General stands the_ =Church of St. Maurice=.

This church was entirely rebuilt by the Jesuits after the destruction of the ancient edifice, which was one of the oldest in Rheims. Here may be seen the _Eagle Reading-Desk_, a fine piece of 17th century wood-carving; two _Louis XIV. portable iron desks_ and the _paschal chandelier_ of carved wood; the _17th century confessionals_ of the lateral chapels, and in the sacristy remarkable _Louis XIII., hand-embroidered guipures_ of open-work designs, after the style of the models by the Rheims artist, Georges Baussonnet.

_Return to the Place du Parvis, in front of the Cathedral, via the Rue Gambetta and its continuation, the Rue Chanzy._

A VISIT TO THE BATTLEFIELDS AROUND RHEIMS

A thorough visit can be made in two days.

The Itinerary for each day is divided into two parts, to allow tourists to return to Rheims for lunch.

=First Day= { Morning pp. 122-133. { Afternoon pp. 134-159.

=Second Day= { Morning pp. 160-165. { Afternoon pp. 166-174.

FIRST DAY

MORNING

=THE MOUNTAIN OF RHEIMS=

(_See the complete Itineraries on p. 121, and the summary of the war operations on p. 131._)

This part of the Itinerary will take the tourist to the most important points of the last German offensive of 1918, which aimed at the capture of Rheims.

_Starting from the Place du Parvis Notre-Dame, take the Rue Libergier, opposite the Cathedral, turn to the right into the Rue Chanzy, follow same as far as the Rue de Vesle, take the latter on the left, and follow it to the end._

_After the_ =Porte de Paris= _(see p. 68) the Rue de Vesle becomes the Avenue de Paris. Take same, but after passing under the railway bridge, turn to the left into the Avenue d'Epernay (R. N. 51, see plan, p. 121)._

_Take the second street on the right (Rue de Bezannes), which passes in front of the_ =Western Cemetery=, devastated by the bombardments.

The road crosses numerous lines of trenches and boyaux, which defended the immediate approaches to Rheims.

_Before reaching Bezannes village, leave on the right, two roads which skirt a large estate enclosed with railings, go straight on to the ruined railway-station of Bezannes, then turn to the right._

=Bezannes=

(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)

_Cross the first group of half-ruined houses, then, on reaching a second group, which forms the main part of the village, turn to the left into the first street encountered, where the_ partially destroyed church _stands_.

The round-vaulted apse, tower, nave and aisles all belong to the Romanesque period. The Gothic doorway is 13th, and the spire of the belfry 15th century.

The square tower greatly resembles the old belfry on the doorway of St. Remi Church in Rheims, and, like the latter, dates apparently from the middle of the 11th century.

The Gothic doorway of the west front is set up against a Romanesque wall. The gable has been rebuilt in modern times. Vestiges of an ancient portal are to be found on each side of the doorway. The key-stones of the arch above the tympanum, like those of the upper arching, are numbered in Roman figures, a peculiarity rarely to be found.

Facing the doorway of the church, on the left of the great entrance-door to a court, is a niche containing a 16th century stone =statue= representing a bishop wearing a chasuble.

In the court of the same house, over the door of the main structure, on the right, in an arched Renaissance niche, hollowed out and ornamented with marble incrustations, is the =statue= of a canon with folded hands kneeling at the foot of a crucifixion.

A shell-splinter took off the head of the bishop's statue, but the other group is intact.

Those interested in things pre-historic, may visit the =Pistat Collection= at Bezannes, which contains a great number of interesting specimens belonging to the stone and neolithic ages, and to the Gallic and Roman periods of the region.

Of the old castles of Bezannes, nothing of interest remains.

On September 11, 1914, during the Battle of the Marne, the German Staff took up their quarters in the house of M. Poullot. On the 12th, the battle attained the vicinity of the village.

_Skirt the church, and at the cross-roads at the end of the village, keep straight on, past the cemetery on the right._

_The road climbs a small hill lined with trenches, then descends to the village of_ =Les Mesneux=.

_At the entrance to this village (which is of no particular interest) turn to the right, and at the fork about fifty yards farther on, to the left, leaving the unmetalled road on the right._

_About half-a-mile from Les Mesneux and shortly before reaching the crossing with the road to Rheims (G. C. 6)_, there is a small wood at the place called =Le Champ Clairon=. It was from here that German batteries under Colonel von Roeder fired on Rheims on September 4, 1914, in spite of the protestations of the Mayor of Les Mesneux, who assured the German commander that the French troops had completely evacuated the town.

_At the crossing with G. C. 6, keep straight on to Ormes_, whose church, at the entrance to the village, was almost entirely destroyed.

=Ormes=

(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)

This village, in addition to numerous subterranean passages and chambers, possesses the interesting 12th century =Church St. Remi= (_photo below_).

Its circular apse with cornice resting on corbels is barrel-vaulted. Colonnettes in the great bays of the steeple (in ruins) carry carved 12th century capitals.

The pointed vaulting of the southern transept is 12th century, and the ogival groining rests on Norman capitals. The doorway of the western facade dates from the second half of the 12th century, and although its porch was destroyed in 1853 it is still remarkable.

It comprises three tierce-pointed arcades surmounted by a line of billet-moulding. The lateral arcades are blind, while the higher central arcading around the door is surmounted with three receding _tori_ resting on crocketed foliate capitals. The lateral arcades have similar capitals but only one _torus_.

Inside the church are interesting =16th century statues=: _St. Barbara_ in stone and _St. Catharine_, painted and decorated, face the altar; _St. Remi_ in stone, remarkable for its costume and decoration, stands above the altar of the northern chapel; a wooden _Virgin_ surmounts the inner doorway.

_Return by the same road to the crossing with the road to Rheims (G. C. 6), where, opposite the_ =Cafe du Joyeux Laboureur=, _turn to the right._

The road rises towards the Mountain of Rheims. Of the _camouflaging_ seen in above photograph, only traces remain.

_Shortly after, the tourist passes between the villages of_ =Jouy= _and_ =Pargny=, _whose houses border the road._ Jouy (_on the left_) and Pargny (_on the right_) were bombarded by the Germans in June, 1915.

The =Church of Jouy=, visible from the road to Rheims, was almost entirely destroyed.

_To visit the church of Pargny, turn to the right opposite the grocery stores, No. 262, then take the second street on the left_ (near a fine mansion partly in ruins).

_About 100 yards farther on is_ the church, the belfry of which was destroyed. _Return to the crossing with the main road to Rheims, where turn to the right._

The road continues to climb the northern slopes of the Mountain of Rheims. On a hill to the left, the =Chapel of St. Lie= dominates the surrounding plain. There is a very fine view of Rheims from here.

_The top of the rise is reached soon afterwards. Descend the southern slopes, passing between the sidings of an_ important material and ammunition depot situated on the reverse side of the mountain out of sight of the enemy's observation-posts. _On reaching the crossing half-way down the hill, leave on the left the two roads leading respectively to_ =Ville Dommange= _and_ =Courmas=.

_A short distance further on, after passing the road to Onrezy (on the left), take the following narrow road on the left_, which passes between clumps of trees that were cut to pieces by shell-fire.

_A little further on, on the right, is a_ cemetery containing the graves of some two hundred French, British and Italian soldiers.

_Turn to the right after the cemetery._ The road crosses a fine avenue bordered with shell-torn poplar trees, leading to the =Castle of Commetreuil= _on the left_. _The village of_ =Bouilly= is reached soon afterwards.

=Bouilly--St. Euphraise--Clairizet=

(_See pp. 131-132, and Itinerary, p. 122._)

Bouilly was burnt by the Germans on September 12, 1914, under the pretext that the inhabitants had caused the death of two _Uhlans_ killed the day before by French _Chasseurs_.

_Turn to the right opposite the Church of Bouilly._ There is a small cemetery on the right, just outside the village, containing several German graves.

_On reaching G.C. 6, leading to Rheims, turn to the right. Take the first road on the left_, which passes through a small devastated wood, where batteries of guns were posted. _Cross a small stream, and immediately afterwards the railway, then turn to the left into the village of_ =St. Euphraise=.

_Turn to the right in the village, opposite the church._ The road rises steeply to the hamlet of =Clairizet=, which was almost entirely destroyed. _Pass by a_ "Calvary," composed of four large trees surrounding a cross, _then turn to the left into a small narrow street_.

=Coulommes-la-Montagne--Vrigny=

(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)

_The road rises, then descends to_ =Coulommes-la-Montagne=. _Turn to the right at the entrance to the village._ The church, in ruins, is on the left.

_At the cross-roads just outside the village take G.C. 26 on the left. At first, the road dips rather abruptly, then rises to_ =Vrigny=.

The Church of Vrigny, entirely in ruins, is on the right at the entrance to the village. _Pass the Town Hall, leaving a public washing-place on the left, then turn to the right._

_On leaving the village, take G.C. 26 on the left to the village of_ =Gueux=.

=Gueux=

(_See pp. 131-132 and Itinerary, p. 122._)

Gueux is a small old-world village, with ancient houses, castle and church.

At the entrance to the village, a large square with trees, cut to pieces and devastated by the bombardment.

_From the square, go to the_ =Church= _on the right_, now a heap of ruins. Seen through the trees from the square it forms a pitiful sight.

In the chapel, on the left of the main entrance, there was a fine piece of Renaissance carving.

It was to Gueux that the Archbishop of Rheims, Mgr. Lucon, betook himself after the bombardments of April, 1917. The village cemetery contains many soldiers' graves. The Cardinal-Archbishop of Rheims presided at a pathetic ceremony held during the War in honour of the dead.

_To visit the_ =Castle=, _cross the square and take a small street on the left, which leads to the road to Rosnay (G.C. 27)_.

_Turn to the left, and fifty yards further on take on foot the narrow street on the left, which leads to the old castle._

This ancient castle, where the Kings of France, on their way to Rheims to be consecrated, used to dine, suffered severely from the bombardments. Outwardly it has, however, retained its general appearance (_photo above_).

_Return to the car, and go straight on to the fork in the roads to Rosnay and Premecy. Facing the fork is the entrance_ to the park and =modern Castle of Gueux=, belonging to the Roederer family, which was completely destroyed (_photo below_).

_Turn the car round at the above-mentioned fork and continue straight along G.C. 27._