Notre-Dame de Reims Postcard

Notre-Dame de Reims (Our Lady of Rheims) is the cathedral of Reims, where the kings of France were once crowned. It replaces an older church, destroyed by a fire in 1211 that was built on the site of the basilica where Clovis was baptized by Saint Remi, bishop of Reims, in AD 496. Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral, the former Abbey of Saint-Remi, and the Palace of Tau were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1991.

Notre Dame and the Seine View Postcard

The cathedral was completed by the end of the 13th century, with the exception of the western front. That portion was erected in the 14th century, following 13th century designs—the nave having in the meantime been lengthened to afford room for the crowds that attended the coronations.
The towers, 81 m tall (approx. 267 ft), were originally designed to rise 120 m (approx. 394 ft). The south tower holds two great bells; one of them, named “Charlotte” by Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine in 1570, weighs more than 10,000 kg (about 11 tons). The façades of the transepts are also decorated with sculptures. The inside of the cathedral is 138.75 m (about 455 ft) long, 30 m (approx. 98 feet) wide in the nave, and 38 m (about 125 feet) high in the centre.

SOURCE:Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Reims Wikipedia Entry