The Smiling Angel in Reims

Notre Dame Cathedral of Reims
was built in the 13th-century

Notre Dame Cathedral of Reims was one of the earliest monuments registered as a UNESCO Heritage Site. No doubt it is a gothic art masterpiece but as a church, how does it differentiate itself from the hundreds, if not thousands of magnificent churches in Europe?

The Reims state seems to have the right answer because anyone who had visited the city would remember the ubiquitous image of the Smiling Angel. Her enigmatic face is on the cover of travel books, candy boxes, carrier bags and even on Champagne bottles! She is not only an icon of the Cathedral, she is a symbol of Reims.

The Smiling Angel as seen on the packaging of the famous Biscuits de Reim

In searching for the celebrated "Ange de Sourire", I spent a good hour examining the extraordinary sculptural ensemble that this Cathedral is known for. Scouring through some 2,300 pieces of sculpture on the monument was not an easy task but I finally managed to find her. There she was, right at the side entrance, standing poise and graceful as if extending her warm welcome to everyone who enters the sacred space. Whether she truly came from the medieval period or the recent past does not seem to matter to anyone. Her charming smile is irresistible.

Churches are a rich source for the study of religious iconography. For this reason, images on stained glass window as much as paintings and sculptures are important artifacts that shed light on how the society and religion were linked at the time. Unfortunately, stained glass in old churches nowadays are mostly reproductions and genuinely early examples are kept in museums as churches underwent major restoration. In 1976, Notre Dame of Reims commissioned surrealist painter, Marc Chagall, to create three stained glass windows to replace those made in the 19th-century. 

Chagall's work took six years in the making

In portraying the stories from the Old Testimony, Chagall succeeds in combining the modernity of drawing and of composition, with the hues of medieval stained glass. Although the subject matter here is different, the distinctive style of Chagall is hard to miss. A truly stunning piece of art.