The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1917-06-29
CATHEDRAL
MAY Be CONVERTED
INTO A PANTHEON
Proposal Is Made That Heroic
Dead Rest in This Shattered
Edifce; German eunners Have
Played Havoc With Its Beauty.
speelal Correspondence to The Herald.

Geographic society's bulletin ON this
great Gothic edifice.
pronounced by many 6en Of
architecture the mos beautiful struc-
ture produced during the middle aRes,
the cathedral OF Rheims il nIso oue
of the worlds most historic cdinces,
some of b most inspiring aud mag
nitcent episodes IN the life of The
ffench nation having taken place
within its walls says the huiietin.
IT Is the matches beauty and sym.
metry OF the ~cathcdrai's west facade
which distinguished il above all other
cccleslastical buildings OF the moycn
age This front oi the edifice. which
has been 50 frequently pictured since
its disbursement By the shell-fire OF
herman gunners. has three rcCesse /
portals which are decorated with more
than 530 statues OF saints. apostles.
marty r.. vices. virtues ana historic
figures, together with sculptured
scenes OF famous events. Above the
portals Is the indescrihably beautiful
rose window. fully forty feet In diam
eter, while to the right and lett the
massive yet graceful twin towers rise
to a height Of more than 2g0 feet The
spires which were designed to crown
the towers were never built. although
hety a been started and were de-
stroyed In the great fire OF iiSl which
consumed the roof n five lead Sptrp 8
az the north transept.
The most nuiable piece OF s%tatuary
Of the cathedral IS the figure OF Christ
ia henediction. over the smaller OF the
two portals Of the north trnnsep. This
statue, known as lie beau Dieu' has
been described as "a work OF such
beauty that II may he considered the
most solemn creation of its time.
The wonderful simplicity aud
severity ct is architectural outlines,
NHaa.. EALA HNHA -.
tnrdtlons can be attributed in large
measure To the fact that the cathedral
was rushed 60 completion in the space
.uf 80 years G2l2-lGi2l by the Arch
bishop Alberto Hum ert. who employ
ed the services Of -four great archi-
~tecis-- Bernard de scissors. Gauthicr
de i;eims. leon dOrbais. and Jean
.l.oups. During the latter half OF the
18th century tine completed structure
WIS found To- be entirely too small t.
accommodate the Vast court asscmb-
lagos which gathered 10 witness the.
.curunations of the kings Of France. 80
tiie nAve was heightened during the
lith century. under the supervision ~
Robert De H0ucy. from 18TH century
designs.
The history Of the cathedral ~
Rheims may Doe aid properly 90 date
from the nfth century. even though
the structure was not begun Until
more than 700 years later 81 Was on
Christmas day ot the ycar ts6 that
81 Kemigius baptized Clovis ne
anointed him king. OF the Franks 100
the little hasili0n which stood ON the
site nov occupied hy the cathedral
Upon that occasion, according tu
legend, e dove Flew down from heaven
bearing a ,ase lAmpullU Remensisl
filled with iucNhaustible OH, with
~ hich the king WAS Dhristentd. Thil
alHHfgN Fgaas. ga VsU4fHtN la the stf D.
edrUl and offered the excuse FOR hold
lnE the subSquut Curuuutluns tt
iihims. IL a shattered during the
French revolution bat q fragment
containing "a particle of the oil was
supposed to have been preserved and
placed IN a new ampoule which wac
Used Tor the last time az the corona
tion OF charles y M 1875.
After Clovis, Pepln the Short. wa
crowned az Rheims By Pope stephen
ii, C-harlcmagne. by Pope Leo Ill aui
Louis the Deoonair by Pope stephen
~. beginning with the Capetiun dyr
asty all the kings OF France were
crowned either IN the earlier church.
which occupied the site, or "a the
present cathedral. except Hugh Capei
who was auointed at Nooyn. Henry "
who was invested 1T Charities, Napul-
con, who crowned himself in Tho
cathedral OF Notre Dame In Paris, and
Louis XVIII. Louis Philippe. and NAB
oleon III, none OF whom was ever
formally crowned.
I'm an this long line OF Rheims cor
onations the most famous was mat
OF Charles VII, who received the king
do mofFrance AZ the hands of the
most heroic faminine figure - all his
tory Joan Of Arc. Al the coronation
uf this unworthy monarch the Maid OF
orleans stood holding the standard ot
France and al the conclusion OF the
ceremony she knelt and, embracins
his knees, said, 'Nohle king now h. oc-
compliShed the Will 81 God which
commanded me 20 bring % To- THIS
cts of Hheims 10 receive your ho!y
junction. now that You at last are kin1
and that the Kingdom of France f.
yoaTs'
The great organ 81 the Rheims
cathedral was installed in 1851 on
the great fire. 5y the master
instrument maker, pudiu lestr"
Among the most highly priced pos
az the church are It's famou-
tapestries, fourteen Of which were the
eifi ~ Robert de i-euoutourt an 1880
Others were presented. by Cardinal 80
Lorraine IL 1870. and thc superb tap
Irseries de ppperslck Ca weaver Who
worked for the duke Of Montuail
were given by Archbishop Henri Of
Lorraine In 1888. The French govern
ment I'm lS4S added To the cathedral
rich collection two Gobelin tapestries
woven from Raphael cartoons ot -
mn -.tHW %" pun ulsf1 lu mud
>~~~~N~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
city Ever, officer ana enlisted man
residing within the city limits Of To-
ronto who volunteers Tor oyer-en
service has from the datc Of his en-
li.tmeut been protected boy % lie I'M
surancc policy Of $1,000. the protcc-