Altar at the Basilica of Saint-Remi
When I first entered the Basilica of Saint-Remi in Reims, I wasn’t that impressed. I thought that the church looked much smaller inside. I thought that the transept or the arms of the church building was the main length of the church, I was very mistaken. The church, of course, turned out to be much larger than I imagined. The church is one of the largest in France itself. I guess, you could not blame the locals since the basilica houses the tomb of one of the central figures of the early history of France – Saint-Remi or Saint Remigius. Like a lot of cathedrals and basilicas, the Basilica of Saint-Remi follows a typical cathedral layout. There is the choir area which is usually near the altar. Surrounding the choir area on the outside is a passageway called the ambulatory. This allows you to go around and behind the altar without interrupting anyone.
Ambulatory at the Basilica of Saint-Remi
The basilica of Saint-Remi also has an large and impressive ambulatory which goes behind the choir. This is a very gothic style with pillars giving the impression of size to the visitor. The ambulatory also hosts several chapels as is common with cathedrals and basilicas. Normally, you would see beautiful stained glass windows here but the basilica was heavily damaged in the first world war and the stained glass windows were lost. There have been more modern versions of the windows done by local artists but not all of them have been replaced yet.
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