Interior of Saint-Remi Basilica in Reims, Champagne, France.

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Basilique St-Rémi

Reims


This 121m-long former Benedictine abbey church, a Unesco World Heritage Site, mixes Romanesque elements from the mid-11th century (the worn but stunning nave and transept) with early Gothic features from the latter half of the 12th century (the choir, with a large triforium gallery and, way up top, tiny clerestory windows). Next door is the Musée St-Rémi.

The abbey church is named in honour of Bishop Remigius, who baptised Clovis and 3000 Frankish warriors in 498. The 12th-century-style chandelier has 96 candles, one for each year of the life of St Rémi, whose tomb (in the choir) is marked by a mausoleum from the mid-1600s.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Reims attractions

1. Musée St-Rémi

0.02 MILES

Housed in a 17th- and 18th-century abbey, this museum homes in on local Gallo-Roman archaeology, 16th-century Flemish tapestries, medieval sculpture and…

2. Bibliothèque

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Thanks to a donation from the US-based Carnegie Foundation, the lobby of the Bibliothèque boasts gorgeous 1920s mosaics, stained glass, frescos and an…

3. Palais du Tau

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A Unesco World Heritage Site, this lavish former archbishop’s residence, redesigned in neoclassical style between 1671 and 1710, was where French princes…

4. Cathédrale Notre Dame

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5. Musée des Beaux-Arts

0.82 MILES

Lodged in an 18th-century abbey, this museum's rich collection stars one of four versions of Jacques-Louis David’s world-famous The Death of Marat (yes,…

6. Joan of Arc Statue

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A strangely expressionless statue of Joan of Arc, raised high on a rearing horse and bearing a sword, graces this square facing the cathedral. The so…

7. Église St-Jacques

0.94 MILES

The 12th- to 14th-century Église St-Jacques, the city’s only remaining medieval parish church, has some 1960s stained glass that’s so awful it has to be…

8. Cryptoportique

0.99 MILES

One of Reims' Roman standouts, the below-street-level Cryptoportique is thought to have been used for grain storage in the 3rd century AD.