Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Châlons

Châlons-en-Champagne

In 1115, it was the Bishop of Châlons, William of Champeaux, who made a young monk named Bernard abbot of Clairvaux; Wikipedia specifies that Bernard received ordination here at the hands of his friend. The Romanesque cathedral then being rebuilt was struck by fire in 1138, and it was another of Bernard's followers who came to consecrate it: Bernard of Pisa, a former disciple of Clairvaux who had become Pope Eugene III, in France to encourage the Second Crusade, dedicated it on 26 October 1147. A painting kept in the cathedral depicts this consecration. Of the church of 1147, the Romanesque tower on the north flank remains. After the fire of 1230, all the rest was rebuilt in the Gothic style: the apse, the transept and the first bays of the nave were completed in 1261, the ambulatory and the radiating chapels added between 1280 and 1310. Here the walls almost disappear behind the glass, over three levels of windows. An older stained-glass window was even reused: a Crucifixion of the mid-12th century, surrounded by symbolic figures, reworked after the fire to fit the openings of the new church. The nave was extended at the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century, and the west façade, in Baroque style, rose from 1628 to 1634 to designs by Claude Monnart. On 19 January 1668, lightning set the spire ablaze, and it crashed down onto the apse. On the floor, a multitude of engraved tomb slabs, from the 13th to the 17th century, makes the cathedral one of the richest ensembles in Champagne.

Wikipédia — Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Châlons ↗

Getting there : In the centre of Châlons-en-Champagne, Rue de la Marne (coach drop-off on Rue de la Marne and parking on Rue du Général-Jansen according to the tourist office). Opening times and free entry to be checked; the tourist office organises two-hour guided tours for groups and offers a puzzle trail inside the cathedral.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound