 |
| Detail of wrought iron window: Bibliothèque Carnegie. |
Over Christmas I came
across an exhibition, 'Sur les traces de
Marcel Proust: La Champagne retrouvée' at one of the libraries in town. A
few of the individuals mentioned were previously merely names that I had
associated with streets around the city.
These finally came alive as they were
linked back to their eponym, through letters, manuscripts, photographs and
drawings. All were traced back to Proust (1871-1922) himself, of course, and
his visits to Reims and the Champagne region during the early Belle Epoque
years. Some of the individuals he frequented here were to be the inspiration
for characters within his work. It is even said that the catalyst to the
Proustian memory process had initially been a biscuit, rather than the eventual
madeleine cake. If so, it may well have been a biscuit rose, speciality of Reims
intended to be eaten when sipping champagne, of which there are several
references in his work.
 |
| Side view of the library showing the cathedral transept and the Palais du Tau. |
The beauty of the royal
city with the majesty of its cathedral in the pre-war years also marked Proust.
As part of his translation work of the writings of English art critic John
Ruskin, he went on several 'Ruskinian pilgrimages' to study and admire
architecture. Proust was sensitive to the imposing Gothic forms of Notre-Dame
de Reims and the image of fine intricacy playing alongside structural density
is apparent in his writing. He indeed later referred to A la Recherche du Temps Perdu as his 'cathedral'.
 |
| Rear view of the library - view towards the cathedral facade. |
Proust was particularly
affected by the atmospheric painting of Paul-César Helleu - 'Intérieur de la
cathédrale de Reims' with its image of light pouring through the stained-glass
windows. This work, with its myriad of colours flowing onto the stone paving
inside the cathedral is referred to by one of Proust's characters in A la Recherche .
 |
| Intérieur de la cathédrale de Reims: Paul-César Helleu( http://www.helleu.org/ Les Amis de P-C Helleu) |
The art of Helleu in
general, with its studies of mondain
social butterflies seems to reflect the world Proust captured in his writing.
Yet this was a world that was soon to come to an end with the onset of the
First World War, and nowhere would this be felt more cruelly than Reims.
 |
| Exterior of reading room. |
From
the beginning of the hostilities, the cathedral was a prime target. From symbolic
image of the power of the French nation and its regal past, it soon came to
epitomize the suffering of the French people. Repeated attacks by the enemy
forces bombed, battered and burnt the cathedral from every angle from the very start
of the war until its end in 1918.
Even soldiers who sought refuge within the sacred
edifice itself were not safe from cannon strikes as the scarred stone pillars
attest today. Reims cathedral came to represent French resilience and
martyrdom. Initial plans to keep the cathedral in its ruined state as testimony
of the barbaric determination of its assailants were fortunately abandoned in
favour of its reconstruction in the post-war years.
 |
| Double doors at entrance |
One hundred years later, it
is certainly difficult to imagine the desolation of this beautiful site in Proust's
life. The city itself had been almost totally destroyed. During the four years,
80% of the buildings were flattened under enemy strikes or burnt out, leaving a
landscape of rubble, punctuated by the odd wall or edifice left standing in
defiance.
 |
| Mosaic work around the main door |
The majority of civilians had left their homes in September 1914, and
those that remained in the ravaged city inhabited the numerous cellars dug into
the chalky terrain specific to the Champagne region. By 1917, the population
was a mere handful of hardy individuals but little by little the influx grew
and a huge reconstruction programme was under way in the 1920s.
 |
| Side door at the library entrance. |
Freed from
certain aesthetic constraints, the new buildings were able to follow
contemporary currents. This gave rise to significant diversity as individuals
sought to leave their own mark and new architectural styles rose up alongside
more classical themes and references. Art Déco was, however, the most significant
of these. Looking up at the facades of buildings of Reims, we can still see the
geometric forms and details that typify this style. One of the best examples of
this in Reims is the library presently showing the Proust exhibition.
 | | |
| Hall of the library with central fountain. |
Situated on the Place Carnegie, behind the east end of
the cathedral and to the rear of the Palais
du Tau, the Bibliothèque Carnegie
was built during the wave of reconstruction in the 1920s. This would replace
the first library that had been destroyed during the war years, and give it a
new location, no longer within the Hôtel de Ville itself.
The architect in
charge of the mission, Max Sainsaulieu (1870-1953), had already been closely
linked to the protection of the cathedral. Prior to the war, Sainsaulieu had
come to Reims to take over the work of his architect father-in-law, Alphonse
Gossuet, himself responsible for several buildings in the city - the most
notable being the Grand Théâtre de Reims
and buildings of the champagne house Pommery.
 |
| 'Zenithal' glass lantern above the fountain - Jacques Simon. |
In his function as architect appointed to safeguard the cathedral, the younger
architect's powers were limited in view of the force and duration of the enemy
onslaught.
 |
| One of many mural mosaics in the entrance hall. |
 |
| Marble flooring |
He was injured by a bomb during the evacuation of certain artefacts
in 1917. This act of dedication earned him the title of knight of the Légion d'Honneur.
 |
| Reading room at the library. |
Already in a poor
state of repair and under restoration before the outbreak of war, the
stained-glass windows were not removed since it was believed that the
hostilities would quickly end.
Sadly, the war years were all but short and
brutish; they were merciless and protracted. As part of his work, Sainsaulieu
was thus obliged to report the damage to the cathedral and witness first-hand
its heart-breaking, systematic destruction from 1915-1918.
Following the
desecration of the city, parts of its ambitious reconstruction project were
largely made possible thanks to the philanthropy of certain American figures. The
American Memorial Hospital, founded
in 1925 by the Rockefeller Foundation (American
Fund for French Wounded) was set up to deal with physical suffering.
 |
| Reading room with the stained-glass windows of Jacques Simon. |
The Bibliothèque Carnegie was founded in
order to fight against the barbarism born of ignorance. Taking the Latin saying
"Educunt folia fructum" as
its motto, the library sought to give access to learning to the general public.
"Flowers lead to fruit"; education
could elevate the mind of each being and therefore lead a new civilisation to
fruition, preventing further wars.
 |
| Detail of reading room window. |
The funds for this project came from the Dotation Carnegie pour la Paix
Internationale, part of a vast trust fund set up by the philantrophist
Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). Of Scottish origins, Carnegie was labelled 'the
richest man in the world' at the turn of the century, having made his fortune
in the railroad and steel industry. Since the earliest age he understood the
importance of learning, the value of books and the injustice of a library
system that closed its doors to the wider, less-privileged public.
 |
| Stained-glass skylight: Jacques Gruber. |
Carnegie therefore
vowed to create free public reading rooms and libraries and aid other cultural
institutions for the enlightenment of the people and the "improvement of
Mankind". The Carnegie Music Hall of
New York is probably the most famous of these, but in fact its name is rarely associated
with the man behind its creation in 1891. Carnegie's cultural mission led to
the building of 3,000 public libraries, the first of these opening in his
hometown of Dunfermline, Scotland in 1883, whilst 1928 saw the inauguration of
the Bibliothèque Carnegie de Reims.
Having received a
considerable sum of money from the Carnegie association, plans started to be
drawn up for the new library of Reims from 1920. Initially, the architect
Sainsaulieu had a rather classical vision for the new building, yet adopted an
Art Déco style after a trip around certain European cities during which he
observed contemporary architectural influences.
 |
| Detail of skylight. |
The resulting building is
indeed a temple to learning, sober yet not intimidating. From the simple
wrought iron gates and symmetrically laid-out garden, steps lead up to the main
entrance. This impressive facade literally and symbolically leads the visitor
towards knowledge and elevation. Not only this, the facade belies the actual
form of the library itself, which is in fact semi-cylindrical in shape at the
back of its structure.
 |
| Small part of the index card room. |
Two pilasters hold up the pediment of the facade which
is undecorated except for its clear inscription 'Bibliothèque' which appears to grow up from the two engraved laurel
bushes below which represent the growth of the mind.
 |
| Index card for Proust's work. |
The entrance is flanked by
two flags in bas-relief which refer back to the American contribution and the display
the heraldic shield of Reims. The city's motto calls for Divine protection, 'Dieu en soit garde'', whilst the
American eagle is shown beneath the original American motto 'E pluribus unum' (signifying 'Out of many, one').
 |
| Oak and mahogany parquet in the exhibition room. |
Rich geometric
mosaic work decorates the imposing doorway sheltered beneath the entrance, as
rich patterns run up and along the walls and are echoed in the floor design
too. This intricate harmony is further enhanced by the beautiful iron work on the
windows and on and around the two parts of the door. The delicate metalwork
creates a solid yet light impression as the light passes through, and reflects
off the glass below. The great door, designed by the Schwartz-Haumont establishment
won a gold medal at the Exposition
Internationale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris 1925.
Once beyond the great
doors, the visitor enters the entrance hall. This area continues the effect of
luminosity and lightness offset by a sober weightiness.
The walls are composed
of panels of Algerian onyx which are framed by green marble bands, and bear
twenty mosaic images (by Henri Sauvage) which represent the manual, physical
and intellectual activities of Man.
 |
| Detail of handrail. |
Geometric, linear forms continue throughout
but are counterbalanced by a vivid wall decoration featuring bubble-like
circles, that overlap each other and seem to rise towards the ceiling and lead
the eyes upwards. Indeed, above the central fountain set in the marble flooring
to symbolize "the source of all science and knowledge" (Sainsaulieu)
is a magnificent Art Déco hanging glass lantern.
 |
| E Pluribus unum: Library facade. |
Created by Jacques Simon, this
beautiful chandelier dominates the whole space. Opposite the entrance doors is
the reception desk, today in oak, yet formerly made of marble. Housed behind
this area is the library's collections, set out over five levels in a star
formation to accommodate the semi-circular form of the building.
 |
| Dieu en soit garde: motto of the city of Reims. |
Since 2005,
the Bibliothèque Carnegie is no
longer the main library in the town centre; the Bibliothèque Falala situated just in front of the cathedral has
taken on this role. Despite this, the old index card system is still in place,
with countless wooden drawers containing thousands of classified references to
archived documents. Likewise, the reading rooms in the old library still offer
visitors an invaluable study area in an atmosphere that has changed little over
the years in spite of renovation work. Indeed, this room, with its oak parquet
flooring, mahogany wall panels and shelves that lead up to a second open
gallery all serve to create a timeless impression. The ancient volumes that line
the walls and surround the study desks are all bathed in light coming from the
vast stained glass panel above and the three lateral bay windows at the far end
of the room.
 |
| Library facade. |
The stained glass overhead, designed by Jacques Gruber, depicts a
book opened onto the heraldic arms of the city whilst the other windows are of
a simple design in frosted glas, created by Jacques Simon. The exhibition room,
with its complex mosaic parquet of oak and mahogany and subtle Art Déco
features, enables the library to continue its objective of educating the public
through regular displays that highlight the cultural heritage of the city. The
creation of two other major libraries just over a decade ago has enabled the
Carnegie to devote itself to the conservation of its collections and benefit
from a significant restoration and renovation project of its entire building.
 |
| Rear of the library. |
Meanwhile, restoration
of the cathedral itself continues today. Intricate stonework and sculpture
re-emerge from the layers of grime, or are wholly restored to their former
glory. That the cathedral has survived this far, 100 years after its
desecration in the war years seems nothing short of miraculous. The devotion of
the architect Henri Deneux (1874-1969) led to the extensive restoration work of
the inter-war years. This was partly financed by national and international
associations such as the Rheims
Cathedral Restoration Fund . Meanwhile donations from the oil
magnate John D Rockefeller provided the funds necessary to rebuild the cathedral
roof in the 1930s with an innovative use of reinforced concrete. The year 2014
will mark the centenary of the beginning of the First World War and for me both
the Bibliothèque Carnegie and Reims
cathedral reflect the very best and worst in Mankind. Both show Man's ability
to create and share his 'wealth' in every sense of the term - aesthetic, cultural,
social and financial. Yet these edifices also underline a drive in Man for
destruction that unleashes itself whenever wealth is simply associated with
material, economic or political power. When this happens it seems that the
human is stripped from humanity. The worth of philanthropic gestures is
immeasurable as these not only enable invaluable work to be carried out, but
more importantly restore vital faith in humanity. What a shame, disgrace even,
that many of those today with great wealth should be so poor in their vision
and spirit, and are unable or unwilling to see beyond the latest vacuous
material gadget, or narcissistic gaze in the mirror or social network.
 |
| Plaque at library entrance. |
Here's a long quote by
Andrew Carnegie which I would expand on, if I could, to include the natural
world and all living organisms since these are too often overlooked as we focus
on the needs and desires of Man.
“This, then, is held to be the duty of the man of
wealth: To set an example of modest, unostentatious living, shunning display or
extravagance; to provide moderately for the legitimate wants of those dependent
on him; and, after doing so, to consider all surplus revenues which come to him
simply as trust funds, which he is called upon to administer, and strictly
bound as a matter of duty to administer in the manner which, in his judgement,
is best calculated to produce the most beneficial results for the community-the
man of wealth thus becoming the mere trustee and agent for his poorer brethren,
bringing to their service his superior wisdom, experience, and ability to
administer, doing for them better than they would or could do for themselves.”
 |
| Bust of Andrew Carnegie in front of the Bibliothèque Carnegie. |
