Closed at the end of April due to the sliding of its roof, the Saint-Remi basilica in Reims, an 800-year-old building classified as a UNESCO world heritage site, is due to reopen its doors in mid-June after emergency work.
Partly closed for several weeks after a worrying roof slipthere Saint-Remi basilica in Reims will be subject to emergency work. Behind this spectacular operation lies an immense restoration project estimated at more than 60 million eurosexpected to last nearly a decade.
Built in the 11th century, the Saint-Remi basilica was designed to house the holy bulb as well as the relics of Saint Remi, the bishop who baptized Clovis, king of the Franks, making the place a major symbol of French history. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. © Rosine Mazin / AURIMAGES / AFP
An emergency intervention to save the roof
The City of Reims and the DRAC have reached an agreement to quickly launch security work on this emblematic building of French heritage. A specialized rope access company must work on the roof in order to stabilize certain weakened parts of the monument. In fact, community services had observed a displacement of the roof at the level of the central part of the nave of the basilica. Said deformation would be linked to the breakage of several ties ensuring the maintenance of part of the covering of the monument. The situation raises fears of falling roof elementsboth inside the nave and at the level of the flying buttresses of the basilica and cloister of the Saint-Remi museum. Faced with security risks, the municipality decided on April 30, 2026 to close access to the nave.
Only the choir currently remains accessible to allow the continuation of religious services and the limited reception of visitors. However, several cultural events and shows had to be canceled, notably Luminiscence, the sound and light concept imagined by the Lotchi company. © Marie Blanchardon / Le Parisien
For Arnaud Robinet, mayor of Reims and president of Grand Reims“more than a warning, the building diagnosis of the Saint-Rémi Basilica represents an injunction to act now to protect one of the greatest symbols of the Cities of Coronations and the history of our country. As I proposed a few weeks ago, the City will take its responsibilities, financial and material. But faced with the scale of this challenge, which can be compared to the construction site of the century, our community cannot and will not be able to act alone“Faced with the urgency of the situation, the mayor appeals.”to the construction of an exceptional and multi-year financial commitment on the part of the State, condition sine qua non for the long-term preservation of the Saint-Remi Basilica“.
The emergency work was to continue until June 12 and, if the schedule is respected, the basilica could reopen to the public as early as the weekend of June 13 and 14. The cost of this first phase of security, estimated at several hundred thousand euros, will be entirely covered by the City of Reims, owner of the historic monument.
A monument steeped in history at the heart of a colossal project
But this intervention is only a prelude to a much larger project. At the same time, the State and the community are currently carrying out a scientific study intended to prepare the complete restoration of the thousand-year-old basilica.
THE future work must concern the roof, part of the facades as well as the 13th century stained glass windows. According to initial estimates, work could begin within three years for a duration of around ten years.
The total amount of the operation already exceeds 60 million euros and could still be reassessed. “We’re talking about the construction site of the century“, insisted Arnaud Robinet on the basilica square. Financing the project now promises to be one of the major challenges of the coming years. The mayor of Reims is calling for an update of the budget in order to better measure the extent of needs. The objective now is to distribute the effort between the State, the City of Reims and a major sponsorship program nationally.
