Reims Cathedral is worth a visit for many reasons. Just 45 minutes by train from Paris, it has a magnificent statue of Joan of Arc that is not to be missed and twice as many statues on the exterior compared to Notre Dame de Paris.
When you visit the cathedral, if you can tear your eyes away from the centuries-old majestic stained glass and 20th-century chapel windows, you will see two very simple, very special stones embedded in the main aisle.
The first commemorates the 5th century martyrdom by beheading of St. Nicasius, the founder of the first church on the site of the present cathedral. The second commemorates the baptism of Clovis I, the first king of the Franks and the first Merovingian king, on this site by St. Remigius in the early 6th century.
There are a number of stories about the former event, the most incredible being that the oil used to baptize Clovis was offered by Heaven. Some say it was brought down by a dove, while other sources say that the bulb was miraculously filled as an answer to prayer.
However, the Holy Bulbulla is now housed in a reliquary in the treasure room of the Tau Palace next to the cathedral. And the cathedral's sacred and reigning history has made it the site of the coronation of every successive French monarch over the centuries.
And the place of miracles? Answer. The place of the baptism of one of Europe's first great rulers? OK. Site of at least one high-profile martyrdom? Okay. Okay. And finally, the site of moving art and architecture created to celebrate the glory of a higher power? Okay. [laughs] Okay. Those looking for a truly spiritual place to explore, look no further.
