Another Notre Dame cathedral - Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims 601; Gastronomic meal of the French 00437; Compagnonnage, network for on-the-job transmission of knowledge and identities 00441
What and Why
Reims plays a prominent role in the monarchial history of France as it is the site of coronation and hence is referred to the city of coronation (French: la cité des sacres). Other than that the city remains comparatively obscure in recent times, except for the fact that the football team is actually the first ever defeated finalist of the Champions League: Stade de Reims. The architecture oozes classicism and strong flavour of imperial strength.
Toponymy
Reims was actually an important city during the Roman times, and it was named after the local tribe Remi.
See
Cathedral of Our Lady of Reims (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims)
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Reims (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims) was dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Aramaic: מרים, Maryam) and is famous for being the traditional location for the coronation of the kings of France. The cathedral was built in the early 13th century CE to replace the original church which was, as usual, destroyed by fire. That original tiny church was dated as early as the year 401 CE!
The cathedral follows the same French Gothic architecture, in the same spirit of the two other famous cathedrals of the era: Paris, Amiens, Bourges and Chartres: exhibiting high vaults, exaggerative portals, flying buttresses and elaborate stained glass mosaics. As it is associated with such an important role of the French monarchy, this cathedral is extremely well decorated as in known as the Queen of Gothics (Reine des Gothiques) and is known as a masterpiece of stone-art.
The cathedral's exterior glorifies royalty instead of the usual sainthoods. In the centre of the front façade and above the rose window is the Gallery of Kings, composed of 56 statues of French monarchs. To emphasise further royalty to the cathedral, it houses the Holy Ampulla (Saint Ampoule) that contains the anointment oil of the first coronation when King Henry I (Henri I, né Henri Capet) of France was crowned here in 1027 CE and this act permanently established the cathedral as the location of the coronation of the French monarch. All but seven of France's future kings would be crowned at Reims.
The coronation of Charles VII (né Charles Valois) in 1429 CE marked the reversal of the course of the Hundred Years' War, due in large part to the actions of Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc). She is has two statues in the church.
As in Amiens cathedral, the three portals serve as a graphical illustration of the Bible for the illiterate. The central portal is devoted to Mary, while the left (south) portal depicts the Last Judgement. The sculpture of the north portal depicts the crucifixion, the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus (Aramaic: ישוע, Yēšūa) to heaven. To the left of the north portal is one of the most recognisable of all the sculptures of Reims, the smiling angel Gabriel (Hebrew: גַּבְרִיאֵל, Gaḇrīʾēl), with Mary.
A very high nave is seen inside the church, again symbolising the reach to heaven.
The labyrinth of the church is very significant in more than one way. As in other cathedrals, the labyrinth symbolises the single passage of pilgrimage or salvation. In this particular labyrinth motif, the five key architects and builders are depicted.
The actual motif.
This labyrinth motif has since been adopted as the national logo for French historical monuments (monument historique), rotated by 45° in maroon as below.
Abbey of Saint-Rémi (Musée Saint-Remi)
The former Abbey of Saint Rémi (Musée Saint-Remi) is now a museum. It is founded in the 6th century CE and keeps the relics of Saint Remigius (Saint Rémi). While the present church looks a bit isolated and quiet, it actually has a huge history underneath it. The abbey's success was founded on its acquisition of the relics of Saint Remigius in the 6th century CE; subsequently gifts poured in upon it from pious donors all over France. By the 9th century CE the abbey became perhaps the most richly endowed church in France.
Palace of Tau (Palais du Tau)
During the time of visit, the Palace of Tau (Palais du Tau) was under renovation and was closed. This was the residence of the former Archbishop of Reims and is there since the 6th century CE. The name arises because the plot of the land resembles a letter T and hence the Greek letter T (Greek: T, tau) is adopted.
The palace actually adjoins the Reims cathedral on the south side.
Eat and Drink
French cuisine (Cuisine française)
I am sure most people who travelled have been asked what is his or her favourite cuisine. For me, French cuisine hands-down, and I believe it needs no explanation.
French cuisine (cuisine française) is not only about the utilisation of ingredients and the large varieties of way of cooking that impresses. It is simply another form of art to French, just that the canvas is the plate and the tools are the ingredients. It reaches an art and heritage form to an extent that French gastronomy becomes a UNESCO ICH.
As far as I know, other than the Chinese who eats pretty much everything, the French also uses a lot of ingredients that are deemed inedible in other countries: offals, innards, wild legumes, snails...
Modern French cuisine was made important in the 20th century CE by Auguste Escoffier to become the modern haute cuisine: characterised by meticulous preparation, careful presentation of food, and of course high price. French food also features extensive sense of 'contrast': contrast in colour, aroma, taste and service in all facets of its dishes.
French cuisine also features dishes served in small and numerous courses that were produced by large and hierarchical brigadier staff structure at the restaurants, following Escoffier's code in Le Guide Culinaire. This is to accentuate the ingredients and the techniques of the chefs and his team in each particular skill or food set. By the way many French chefs, especially those Michelin-starred ones, also join the compagnonnage, in order to learn the various skills from different chefs around the country. The UNESCO ICH of compagnnonage has been blogged earlier in Fontainebleau.
I savoured this degustation in Le Millénaire, a one-star 'only' restaurant. Just look at the cheeseboard that was offered to me as a dessert after my 8-course meal. By the way the picture above is the Saint-Pierre (Saint Peter) as one of the main degustation courses. Here back home we just call it cheaply as dory... Life cannot be too bad in France! C'est la vie!
Getting There and Around
Easily reachable by trains and buses, Reims is very accessible, and it provides a good-day visit.
UNESCO Inscriptions
The outstanding handling of new architectural techniques in the 13th century, and the harmonious marriage of sculptural decoration with architecture, has made Notre-Dame in Reims one of the masterpieces of Gothic art. The forabbey still has its beautiful 9th-century nave, in which lie the remains of Archbishop St Rémi (440–533), who instituted the Holy Anointing of the kings of France. The former archiepiscopal palace known as the Tau Palace, which played an important role in religious ceremonies, was almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century.
The gastronomic meal of the French is a customary social practice for celebrating important moments in the lives of individuals and groups, such as births, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, achievements and reunions. It is a festive meal bringing people together for an occasion to enjoy the art of good eating and drinking. The gastronomic meal emphasizes togetherness, the pleasure of taste, and the balance between human beings and the products of nature. Important elements include the careful selection of dishes from a constantly growing repertoire of recipes; the purchase of good, preferably local products whose flavours go well together; the pairing of food with wine; the setting of a beautiful table; and specific actions during consumption, such as smelling and tasting items at the table. The gastronomic meal should respect a fixed structure, commencing with an apéritif (drinks before the meal) and ending with liqueurs, containing in between at least four successive courses, namely a starter, fish and/or meat with vegetables, cheese and dessert. Individuals called gastronomes who possess deep knowledge of the tradition and preserve its memory watch over the living practice of the rites, thus contributing to their oral and/or written transmission, in particular to younger generations. The gastronomic meal draws circles of family and friends closer together and, more generally, strengthens social ties.
The French Compagnonnage system is a unique way of conveying knowledge and know-how linked to the trades that work with stone, wood, metal, leather, textiles and food. Its originality lies in its synthesis of varied methods and processes of transmitting knowledge: national and international educational travel (known as the ‘Tour de France’ period), initiation rituals, school-based teaching, customary learning and technical apprenticeship. The Compagnonnage movement involves almost 45,000 people, who belong to one of three groups of compagnons. Those aged 16 years or over who wish to learn and/or develop their skills in a given profession can apply to join a Compagnonnage community. Training lasts on average five years, during which apprentices regularly move from town to town, both in France and internationally, to discover types of knowledge and ways of passing them on. To be eligible to transmit this knowledge the apprentice must produce a ‘masterwork’, examined and assessed by the compagnons. Compagnonnage is popularly perceived as the last movement to practice and teach certain ancient craft techniques, to deliver true excellence in craft training, to closely integrate the development of the person and the training of the worker, and the last to perform trade initiation rites.
References
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