Notre Dame

I wanted to do a post about Gothic cathedral architecture in general, but that is simply not possible in any other format than a textbook. I thought then that I could so a series of posts on Gothic cathedrals, each focusing on a particular aspect, but that was proving to be rather boring. So, in my third attempt, I've decided to simply blog about one of the most spectacular examples (in my mind) of Gothic architecture...Notre dame de Paris (sorry Kris, I was going to do Amiens, but I changed my mind).


Let's get the facts out of the way.

Name: Notre Dame de Paris, means "Our Lady of Paris." All French cathedrals are preceded with the title 'Notre Dame' followed by the name of the town in which they stand. And they are usually referred to by the name of the town only (for example, Notre Dame de Amiens would simply be called Amiens). In the case of Paris, this would presumably be too confusing, so in that case it is often referred to simply as Notre Dame.

Date: Started in 1163 and completed in 1345 (nearly 200 years!). It was not uncommon for a cathedral to take over 100 years to build, and as such the construction of the building would out-live the architect who originally designed it. Several architects would be needed to complete it, and therefore the style of the cathedral may change with the stylistic preferences of the architect in charge at the time.


Orientation: All cathedrals had the main entrance facing west, which in turn meant the altar was at the east end of the building. In this way, during the morning liturgy, the rising sun would be behind the altar and the priest, and in front of the congregation. The morning light spilling through the stained-glass would be a source of inspiration for the parishioners. The cathedrals were most often built in the shape of a cross.Size: Length 420'. Width of transept (the "arms" of the cross) 158'. Width of aisles and nave (the vertical part of the cross) 118'. Height of towers 226' (22 storeys).

What really defines a Gothic building is the ability of its designers to span massive distances at massive heights, with walls that are made up almost entirely of windows. Prior to this, Romanesque buildings required thick, heavy stone walls with small windows and rounded arches to achieve the necessary structural support required for the huge weight of the stone roof. But, with the simultaneous invention (read evolution) of both the pointed arch and the flying buttress, Gothic walls were pared down to a structural skeleton. In my mind, the flying buttress is technically the neatest part of these buildings, but the interior ceiling vault is the most inspiring to see.


The pointed arch, as opposed to the rounded arch, was able to direct loads in a more downward direction rather than in an outward manner, which lessened the amount of lateral support needed to hold up the roof. This diminished load was able to be carried by columns alone, which were in turn kept from buckling outwards by a skeleton-like structure called a buttress. The buttressing at Notre Dame is quite spectacular to see from the east end, because it is built so as to be quite visible and exposed. This was not always the case, as some buttresses were enclosed under a secondary roof, and hidden from view, which also allowed for greater interior width along the side aisles of the nave (the central portion of the long axis on the 'lower' part of the 'cross.'


But truly, the most breath-taking part of Notre Dame, and many other French Gothic cathedrals (like Notre Dame de Amiens), is the sheer beauty and size of the nave. Can you imagine sitting in this hall, with an arched ceiling some 20 storeys above your head, which is surrounded by stained glass windows, while some monks nearby chant mysteriously. It would be enough to silence anyone, and invoke thoughts of the divine as your eyes and mind are directed skyward, which what is what it was intended to do. I'll leave you with a few pictures of this space, which I only hope I be lucky enought to someday see in person.