Église Saint-Nicaise de Reims is a parish church located in the Saint-Nicaise area of Reims. Built in the 1920s within a garden city, it was designed by architect Jean-Marcel Auburtin in a Romano-Byzantine style with a Greek cross plan. The church is classified as a monument historique.
Its decoration brought together several artists associated with the renewal of sacred art, including Maurice Denis, Roger de Villiers, Gustave Jaulmes, Emma Thiollier, Jean Berque, René Lalique, Jacques Simon, and Ernest Laurent. The interior includes lateral chapels painted by Maurice Denis, mural paintings and a large Christ in the apse by Gustave Jaulmes and Henri Menu, sculptural works by Roger de Villiers, and decorative elements attributed to other artists. The church was begun in 1926 and inaugurated in 1927.
The building is linked to Georges Charbonneaux and the Le Foyer Rémois garden city project, which included social and cultural facilities and a church planned from Catholic social values.
Nearby Objects
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Automobile Museum Reims-Champagne 450 m away -
Les Crayères 800 m away -
Old Church of Saint-Nicaise 800 m away -
Monument to the Heroes of the Black Army 900 m away -
Basilica of Saint-Remi 1100 m away
Architecture and Artistic Decoration
The Eglise Saint-Nicaise de Reims is a parish church located at Saint-Nicaise in Reims. It was built in a garden city in the 1920s in the Romano-Byzantine style, with Jean-Marcel Auburtin as the architect. The church was decorated by Maurice Denis, Roger de Villiers, Gustave Jaulmes, Emma Thiollier, Jean Berque, Rene Lalique, Jacques Simon, and Ernest Laurent. It is classified as a monument historique.
Origins of the Church in the Garden City
Historical records mention another church of the same name near the abbaye Saint-Remi, which was sold and demolished during the French Revolution. In 1912, Georges Charbonneaux founded the Societe d'Habitations a Bon marche (H.B.M.) Le Foyer Remois, and his work reflected a commitment to family development, especially large families in France. He planned a garden city inspired by Ebenezer Howard's English model, and construction began in 1919 with social and cultural facilities. The houses were intended for families in Reims with at least four children, provided they were workers or employees. Within this framework, Charbonneaux's Catholic social values led to plans for a church in the garden city.
Architecture and Decorative Program
The church Saint-Nicaise in Reims was designed by Jean-Marcel Auburtin, who is also identified as the architect of the Cite-Jardin. It was begun in 1926 and inaugurated in 1927. The building is described as an example of 1920s religious architecture, using simple volumes and modern materials, and it has a remarkable Romano-Byzantine style with a Greek cross plan. It also includes a carillon of thirty-five bells.
The church's decoration was associated with Georges Charbonneaux, who involved leading artists in the renewal of sacred art. Maurice Denis painted the lateral chapels, representing the Annunciation and the Holy Family, in 1926, and later, after 1933, he was commissioned by Georges Charbonneaux's wife to decorate the baptistery. Gustave Jaulmes and Henri Menu executed the large Christ of the apse and all mural paintings. Roger de Villiers sculpted the Nativity, the statue of Saint Nicaise on the altar, and a statue of Joan of Arc. Emma Thiollier was responsible for the tympanum above the entrance and the statue of Saint Therese, while Jean Berque created the Stations of the Cross in a decorative arts style. Ernest Laurent is credited with the baptistery entrance tympanum, made in 1927.
The building was listed as a historic monument in 2002.
Stained Glass of the Lantern Tower
The church's stained glass includes angels created by Rene Lalique using glass molding in 1926. These windows were restored in 2022. The stained glass of the lantern tower was created by Jacques Simon. Together, these works form a distinctive part of the building's interior decoration and artistic identity.
Les Grandes Orgues at Saint-Nicaise
Les Grandes Orgues is an instrument located in the church of Saint-Nicaise in Reims. Shortly after its construction, it experienced many breakdowns. In the early 1930s, Mr. Gout, from the manufacture Victor Gonzalez, re-harmonized the cornet of the instrument. He also changed the Salicional 8' of the Grand-Orgue to Bourdon 4'.