Reims : la basilique Saint-Remi

           
Another historic site to see in the city of Reims (pop. approx. 200K)in Champagne is this Romanesque church complex that also has some Gothic features. It's dedicated to St. Remi, the city's patron saint. He was the bishop of Reims and at the end of the 5th century he baptised Clovis I, a Frankish king who was the first to convert to Christianity. Clovis became the king of all the Franks and greatly expanded the territories the Franks controlled. He died in Paris in the year 511. Charlemagne was born more than 250 years later.

The church dedicated to St. Remi was built starting in the year 1007 and was consecrated in 1049, making it two centuries older than the cathedral Notre-Dame in Reims.

            St-Remi is almost as big as Notre-Dame de Reims. Apparently it houses a collection of medieval church windows, but I didn't see those. Walt and I went there with our friend Jeanine in October 2000, and I went again in 2011 with CHM. I had been to Reims two or three times in the 1970s, including visits to wineries to taste different champagnes. Some of the photos here date back to the year 2000, and others to 2011.