Trésor de la Cathédrale

The cathedral is a symbol of this city, which was the historic capital of Champagne. This superb Gothic cathedral, which is one of the large French cathedrals and has a complex building history, is inextricably tied to the memory of Bernard of Clairvaux and the Order of the Temple. Bishop Garnier de Trainel, one of the key players in the Fourth Crusade, really wanted this cathedral built after the previous church was completely destroyed by the Normans. Construction began under his successor bishop Hervée in 1208 and continued on through various challenging periods – natural catastrophes and architectural errors – until the 17th century.

Other events led to the creation of a rich “treasure” of more than 260 varied works that date from between the 9th and the 19th centuries. The historical heart of the collection goes back to the works that bishop Garnier de Trainel brought back during the pillaging of Constantinople. While the collection was looted during the Revolution (with 800 kilos of gold robbed, according to the current bishop), it has been added to over the centuries thanks to donations from important benefactors.

Exhibit design: Philippe Maffre

The challenge and the solution

The museum, which has been designed by architect Philippe Maffre, is located in the basement in a 40 square-meter room. Here a floating floor was engineered by Goppion so as to not have to anchor the display cases to the floor or walls. Eight display cases have been placed here to hold the most precious works in the collection.

These are eight small display cases tailor-made for this project, which had limited space. They feature large glass surfaces and the highest levels of security, preventative conservation and remote microclimate control. The so-called “Vitrine Emaux” is truly something one of a kind for Goppion. Created entirely in bulletproof glass, it has a slide opening that goes from right to left. It also has been made with mechanical components that are almost entirely hidden and despite its formal lightness, it is a true safe.