102-1 - REIMS. Louis-Joseph LUÇON (1842–1930), cardinal, archbishop of Reims

REIMS. Louis-Joseph LUÇON (1842–1930), cardinal, archbishop of Reims Autograph letter, Reims, December 30, 1916, to Mr. Michel; 2¼ pages, in-8 format, bearing his coat of arms. “This Christmas, which our forefathers joyfully celebrated in our cathedral in 496, we are celebrating for the third time in the cellars. It is there that the successors of Saint Remi and the descendants of Clovis’s Franks are reduced to celebrating the anniversary of their national baptism and the birth of Jesus Christ. And why? Because the descendants of those defeated at Tolbiac have dismantled our Basilica and hold it at their mercy under the barrel of their guns. But still, how moving it was for me and for our dear soldiers to attend Midnight Mass in these underground caverns”… He hopes for an end to the conflict and extends his New Year’s wishes.