Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Nicaise church of Reims, built in the 1920s, is part of the project of the garden city of the Chemin-Vert, initiated by Georges Charbonneaux after the First World War. The latter, founder of the Foyer Rémois in 1912, wanted to create an ideal living environment for large working families, inspired by the English garden towns. The church, designed by architect Jean-Marcel Auburtin, adopts a Greek cross plan and a Romano-Byzantine style, mixing modernity (armed concrete, molded glass) and tradition.

The interior decoration, completed in 1935, brings together major artists of the sacred art of the inter-war period. Maurice Denis, co-founder of the Sacred Art Workshops, makes marouflage paintings for the side chapels, while Gustave Jaulmes signs the Christ of the abside and the wall paintings. The sculptors Roger de Villiers and Emma Thiollier contribute respectively to a Nativity and the tympanum of entry. René Lalique, famous for his Art Nouveau creations, designs moulded glass windows representing angels, laid in 1926 and restored in 2022.

The organ, installed in 1929 by the Rinkenbach factor, underwent multiple transformations until 1987, from a neoclassical instrument to 16 games to an organ of 52 registers, the third largest in Reims. The church, classified as a historical monument in 2002, embodies the architectural and artistic innovation of the 1920s, combining social function and aesthetic ambition.

A first church near Saint-Rémi Abbey was sold and demolished during the French Revolution. The current project is therefore born of a desire for rebirth, both urban and spiritual, in a Reims marked by the destruction of the Great War. The garden city, with its 617 houses and social facilities (schools, common house), reflects a social utopia where the church plays a central role.

The stained glass windows of the tower-lantern, the work of Jacques Simon, complete this ensemble where each detail, from sculptures to organs, bears witness to an exceptional collaboration between artisans and artists. The building remains a unique example of 20th century religious architecture, mixing Byzantine heritage and technical audacity.

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