Reims Cathedral marks the height of classical Gothic (1180-1230). The first birth of the monument dates back to 1211. It succeeded five other older cathedrals, all located in the same place. Some 2,303 statues of angels, saints, kings, beggars, and creatures adorn the facades of the cathedral. A statue of a smiling angel stands near the north entrance, and another also depicts the Virgin Mary smiling at her child. Reims Cathedral is the first to display smiling figures, a particularity that constitutes a turning point in Christian iconography.