ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved Do not use without permission Notre Dame in Reims - once the place where the French kings were crowned. Work on the church was begun in the beginning of the 13th century, replacing an earlier church which had been destroyed by a fire. The church was badly damaged during the fighting of the First World War, but a lot of time and effort has been put into making the church what it once was - as can be seen here.