Jean d'Orbais
Illustration — Orbais shown top right of the labyrinth Jean d'Orbais (ca. 1175–1231) was a French architect from Orbais-l'Abbaye, active in the Reims area. He was an architect of the High Gothic style and the first of the four architects of the Cathedral of Reims, where he is depicted in the labyrinth mosaic in the nave.
Jean d'Orbais
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- Born
- 1175 · Orbais-l'Abbaye.
- Died
- 1231 · Reims.
- Nationality
- France
- Occupation
- architect
- Known for
- Reims Cathedral
- Languages
- French
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Orbais shown top right of the labyrinth Jean d'Orbais (ca. 1175–1231) was a French architect from Orbais-l'Abbaye, active in the Reims area. He was an architect of the High Gothic style and the first of the four architects of the Cathedral of Reims, where he is depicted in the labyrinth mosaic in the nave.
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Note VALÉORINE
Jean d'Orbais (1175–1231) was a French architect. Born in Orbais-l'Abbaye, the architect died in Reims.
Works include Reims Cathedral. Languages used include French.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Early life
Early life
He was responsible for the design of and initial work on the cathedral of Notre Dame de Reims.
He was born c. 1175 in the village of Orbais in the and before working at Reims he made his debut with the construction of the Abbey Church of Orbais.
Abbey
Abbey
• Illustration — Abbey church Orbais-l'Abbaye. The St. Pierre-St. Paul Church was built at the end of the 12th and early 13th centuries by Jean of Orbais, one of the architects of the Cathedral of Reims. The Abbey Church had a length of 8 m with eight bays of nave, Two of which remain today. The architecture is superb and particularly the façade, with its two towers similar to those of the Basilica Saint-Rémi de Reims and the choir with ambulatory with five radiating chapels. There is also stained glass windows of the 12th century, funerary slabs from the 14th and 15th centuries, a baptismal font from the 16th century and the glazed tiles from the 15th century.
Cathedral of Reims
Cathedral of Reims
• Illustration — Cathedral plan showing labyrinth location in the nave He saw the design and beginning of construction of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Reims, on which he worked from 1211 AD to 1231 AD and 1235. The design was carried out in ca. 1210; among its new features were three-tier elevation, and quadripartite vaults. The overall plan of the cathedral was his and he oversaw the first stone was laid on May 6, 1211 AD, and at the time he was unaware of the cathedrals of Laon, Soissons or Chartres, which his successors would go on to emulate. Jean of Orbais began the construction of the cathedral from the side by the apse, the southern pan of the transept and the choir, followed by much of the nave, until the fourth span and high walls of the aisles were completed with their windows. He was replaced as architect in 1228 by Jean-Le-Loup. It is not known why he ceased to work towards 1228 AD, although it is thought he was dismissed due to conflict with the newly appointed Archbishop Henri de Braisne. He died in 1231 in Reims. • Illustration — Reims Cathedral nave • Illustration — Two rose windows on the cathedral's west end
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Orbais-l'Abbaye.
Birth place
Reims.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Getty Union List of Artist Names 500029866, Jean d'Orbais.
General reference · The Getty Research Institute
- VIAF cluster 95865890 for Jean d'Orbais, aggregating national library name authorities.
General reference · OCLC
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3175229: Jean d'Orbais
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Jean d'Orbais”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Harvey, John. The Gothic World. Batsford. 1950.
- 2.Demouy, Patrick. Rheims Cathedral. La Goelette. 1999.
- 3.Le labyrinthe disparu de la cathédrale de Reims (Charte de Fontevrault).
- 4.Über die Reihenfolge der vier Meister von Reims dans : Deutschsprachige Aufsätze, Erwin Panofsky/Karen Michels/Martin Warnke, Akademie Verlag, 1998, p.111.
- 5.(de)Über die Reihenfolge der vier Meister von Reims, op. cit., p.111.
- 6.Naert, Dominique (1996). Le labyrinthe de la cathédrale de Reims [Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral] (in French) p. 96.
- 7.Le Labyrinth.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q3175229: Jean d'OrbaisWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessauthority file
Getty Union List of Artist Names 500029866, Jean d'Orbais.The Getty Research Institute
Secondary witnessauthority file
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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