This section is from the book "Chambers's Concise Gazetteer Of The World", by David Patrick. Also available from Amazon: Chambers's Concise Gazetteer Of The World.
Rheims (Reems; Fr. pron. Rangss), or Reims, a city in the French dep. of Marne, situated on the Vesle (a tributary of the Aisne), 100 miles ENE. of Paris by rail. Strongly fortified with detached forts since the Franco-German war, when it was for a time the German headquarters, it is well built, and has a picturesque appearance. It is built on the site of Durocortorum, which CAesar mentions as the capital of the Remi, from whom it subsequently took its present name. Under the Frank rule it was a place of much importance, and in 496 it was the scene of the baptism of Clovis and his chief officers by the bishop, St Remy. About 360 it became a bishopric, and in the 8th century an archbishopric. From 1179, when Philip Augustus was crowned here, it was the coronation place of the kings of France, who were anointed from a vessel of sacred oil, the Sainte Ampoule, said to have been carried to St Remy from heaven by a dove. Joan of Arc brought the dauphin hither, and the only sovereigns down to 1825 not crowned at Rheims were Henry IV., Napoleon I., and Louis XVIII. In 1793 the cathedral was attacked by the populace, and the sainte ampoule smashed by a sansculotte. The cathedral (1212-1430), although the towers of the original design are still unfinished, is one of the finest extant specimens of Gothic architecture. Its nave is 466 feet long by 99 in breadth, with a transept of 160 feet, and the height is 144 feet. Its grandest features are the west facade, which is almost unrivalled, with its magnificent doorway, and the so-called Angel Tower, which rises 59 feet above the lofty roof. The Romanesque church of St Remy (mainly 1160-80), with the saint's shrine, is nearly of equal size. Also noteworthy are the hotel-de-ville (1627-1880); the ancient 'Maison des Musiciens' and archiepiscopal palace; the Porta Martis, a Roman triumphal arch; the Lycee, representing a former university (1547-1793); and statues of Louis XV. and two natives, Colbert and Marshal Drouet. Rheims is one of the principal entrepots for the wines of Champagne, and the hills round the town are planted with vineyards. It is one of the great centres of the woollen manufacture in France, and its manufactures, embracing woollen goods (especially merinoes), mixed fabrics in silk and wool, etc, are known in commerce as Articles de Reims. Pop. (1872) 71,397; (1901) 108,385.
 
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