L'Épine, Marne

L' Epine is a commune in the Marne department in the Champagne- Ardenne region. The village has 607 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011). It is located 8 km east of Chalons-en -Champagne and about 45 km southeast of Reims at the former National Road N3 (now D3).

Notre -Dame Basilica

The Gothic Basilica of Notre -Dame was built in 1405-1527. It stands on the site of an earlier St. Mary's chapel, which had become a place of pilgrimage since the beginning of the 13th century.

The church benefited from rich endowments, such as by the Kings Charles VII and Louis XI. With this money the impressive west façade was built with its three portals in the second half of the 15th century. The construction of the two church towers was completed at the beginning of the 16th century.

One of the side chapels is dedicated to the Apostle James. It is known that the brotherhood of pilgrims in the 18th century initiated an annual pilgrimage to L' Epine. This fact owes the Church their 1998 he was awarded as part of the World Heritage Site by UNESCO " Camino de Santiago in France."

During the French Revolution, the large statues were dismantled in the portals. The northern tip of the steeple was canceled in 1789 in order to build an optical telegraph for the route Strasbourg - Paris there. Only in 1868 the tower was rebuilt. Fortunately, had the brothers Chappe, which operated the telegraph, placed most of the spire. However, a floor was lost, so that the height is no longer reached 55 meters of the southern tower.

The total length of the church is 58.50 m, the nave has a width of 15.50 m, the transept 25 m. The vaults have an interior height of 16.60 m. The choir is a polygon with three vaults in the dimensions of the longitudinal vessel and an ambulatory, are embedded in the five chapels. These close with the transept.

The interior is structured by arcades and triforium and a stone rood screen formed of three arches. In the right arch is the statue of Mary, who originally established the reputation of the Church. The exterior facade is decorated by numerous gargoyles and grotesque figures. About the great western front sight, which was undoubtedly inspired by the great French cathedrals of the 13th century, writes Victor Hugo:

" C ' est une surprise étrange de voir s' épanouir superbement dans ces champs, qui nourrissent à peine quelques coquelicots Etioles, splendide cette fleur de l' architecture gothique. "

"It is a strange surprise to see how this wonderful flowering of Gothic architecture gloriously rises above a level that would otherwise be fed little more than some puny poppies. "