Stone uses in Reims Cathedral: provenance, physical properties and restoration phases

Abstract

Reims Cathedral is a major monument in the NE of France originally built with local Lutetian limestone. The recent closure of the last quarries has made restoration using the same stone more complicated. The restoration stones used currently are Lutetian limestones from the centre of the Paris Basin (Saint-Pierre-Aigle and Saint-Maximin stones). Mapping of the Cathedral's façades confirmed the data from ancient manuscripts: Courville stone was the original building stone, but several other local stones from various quarries and beds were also used. As a follow-up to this mapping, Lutetian limestones from five disused quarries were sampled for petrophysical characterization tests: thin section analyses, porosimetry, capillary and drying kinetics. The petrophysical properties of the limestones showed differences between the two main local stone types (Ditrupa limestone and miliolids limestone) and also between the quarries. This study addresses the difficulty of selecting new stone for restoration. Should ancient quarries be re-opened? If so, which ones?

Comparison of biofilm development on three building and restoration stones used in French monuments

“…The Savonnieres stone is a limestone dating back to the Lower Tithonian (150 My) and still mined in the two last quarries in the vicinity of Saint Dizier City in Eastern France. It appeared in buildings from the modern period (1755) in Rheims City and is now employed for restoration (Fronteau et al, 2014). It is a clear limestone classified as a grainstone, with calcite spar crystals which surround oolit vacuolar grains and shell debris (Fig.…”

“…This stone is still mined, whereas Lutetian limestone quarries are presently closed. The Notre Dame Gothic Cathedral in Rheims, one of the most prestigious monuments in France, illustrates the use of many Lutetian limestones, in particular those three limestones used in similar parts of the monument because of their close visual appearance (Turmel et al, 2014). Nonetheless, one of the first actions of the climate and other external factors, such as pollution, is to impact aesthetics by weathering, depending on the stone properties and its position in the monument.…”

Sourcing of chalkstone used in medieval buildings in the Eastern Duchy of Normandy (10th−14th centuries) through geological and geochemistry analyses

“…The size of these diffusion zones depends on the sociopolitical situation (e.g., political stability and administrative boundaries), as well as the geographic settings (e.g., relief configuration and presence of fluvial corridors) and the availability of adequate geological materials (e.g., D. A. Bone, 2016; Reniere et al, 2016; Storemyr & Heldal, 2017; Turmel et al, 2014).…”

Geochemical characterization of “Lorraine limestones” from the Saint-Paul Cathedral of Liège (Belgium): assumptions for the true provenance of the building stones

“…Deciphering the provenance of building stones during the Historical Times remains a challenge. However, this is particularly relevant for three reasons : first, our knowledge of the commercial relationships (Rolett et al 2015), second, for a better comprehension of supply strategies of ancient construction crafts, linked to economical, technical and aesthetic challenges (Wilkinson et al 2008;Barra et al 2009;Brennan et al 2013;Columbu et al 2014), and finally the potential use of appropriate stones during restoration of the buildings (Coli et al 2008;Turmel et al 2014;Hopkinson et al 2015). In the last decades, several methods were applied to Belgian limestones to determine/refine the areas/localities of extraction of stones (e.g.…”