 |
|
|
|
|
onjour!
We are dedicating this newsletter to the crown jewel of Parisian architecture: the cathedral of
Notre-Dame. It began construction under the reign of Louis VII, who was a very pious king. At this
time, the kingdom of France was just a modest triangle of land that stretched from Paris to Orleans
and Bourges. The cathedral stood as the symbol of a new idealism, embodying a momentum of hope
unheard of up until then. It took 170 years to finish this sublime monument, which today welcomes
12 million visitors each year and is the most visited attraction in Paris, even ahead of the Eiffel
Tower. A timeless figure, it has been standing behind the cathedral square for more than 800 years.
A marvel of Gothic architecture, the cathedral has been and continues to be a witness to the most
important events in the history of France.
But before continuing, please remember that you can access and read all the newsletters already
published at http://www.francemonthly.com/
|
 |
 |
|
The Middle-Ages
|
Between 1050 and 1350, 80 cathedrals, 500 large churches and thousands of smaller ones were built.
This great enthusiasm for building religious monuments was inspired by various phenomena.
|
 |
| |
The Cathedral Notre Dame
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
France was changing, as agriculture was getting modernized. The more plentiful crops were putting
an end to famines and barbarian invasions were a thing of the past. A certain optimism about the
future came to be, and every city saw an increase in population while city limits kept extending
beyond the ramparts. Also, religion was embraced with fervor, as it was no longer associated with
punishment but rather with hope. Believers attributed to God, in His infinite goodness, the will
to forgive and to admit into heaven those who knew how to atone for their sins. For the very first
time in the history of religion, heaven became accessible to all. Donations poured in to help
support the construction of these edifices that had to be beautiful to please God, and very large
to protect the population from its demons. What was happening across the country was also happening
in Paris, all the more so since the king took up residence in Ile-de-France. Paris wasn’t yet the
capital of this kingdom but it already stood as a shining example to the whole world. The very
recently appointed Bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, was a very ambitious man who thought that a
sumptuous cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary would nicely replace the very old one dedicated
to St Etienne.
|
|
|
|
Maurice de Sully
|
|
Maurice was born in 1120 in a village close to the castle of Sully-sur-Loire. In the Middle-Ages,
an ambitious intelligent child from a modest family could succeed socially if he received a religious
education. Maurice was such a child; he studied latin and architecture and decided to round off his
education in Paris. At 17 years old, he took off with his pilgrim stick, following the river Loire
up to Orleans. Then, heading north, he entered a forest overrun with wolves, bears and bandits but
continued fearlessly on his way. It was with great emotion, however, that he discovered the strange
new world of the big city at the edge of the forest. He was so poor he had to beg for food to survive,
then worked as a manservant to other more fortunate students to earn a living. Nothing could stand
in the way of his ambition, and his remarkable intelligence got him noticed at an early age. He
became a cleric, then joined the chapter of the cathedral at 22 years old, and was appointed
Assistant-Deacon at 27. In 1150, when he was 30, his talents as an orator were getting a lot of
recognition and his sermons became famous. Ten years later, in 1160, he was appointed Bishop of
Paris, indeed quite an accomplishment for a man from such a modest background. Maurice de Sully,
however, was also dreaming of glory. Right after his enthronement he decided to demolish the old
dilapidated and obsolete cathedral dedicated to St Etienne. He had in mind to build in its place a
much larger and more beautiful cathedral, to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The first stone was
laid in 1163.
|
|
|
Recipe for December 2005
|
|
|
|
Almond “Tuiles”
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Île de la Cité, a Place of Worship
|
|
| |
The "Ile de la Cité" has been a sacred place for 2000 years. The first tribes chose this location
because the river Seine provided such an efficient defense against barbarian invasions. Each tribe
brought their gods along with them, and after Gallic altars came Roman temples. Centuries went by,
and soon enough the river Seine and the city walls were no longer able to keep the barbarians out.
They invaded, and sacked and burned everything in their way. The Church and believers alike
were suffering, powerless to stop these destructions and massacres, but invariably kept rebuilding
 |
|
The Île de la Cité
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
|
their places of worship and venerating their martyrs. In 885, there was another Norman invasion.
Parisians prayed to Mary to save them. Their wish was granted, and their city was spared. From
then on, they started to forget about St Etienne, the first martyr of the Christian community who
was persecuted for having venerated the Virgin Mary. When Maurice de Sully was appointed Bishop of
Paris in 1160, he was the head of an episcopal group in pretty poor shape. The St Etienne basilica
was 600 years old, while the original Notre Dame church, the "Hotel-Dieu" (the main hospital) and
the episcopal palace hadn’t been renovated since the Norman siege three centuries earlier. All of
this was no match for his power and ambition, and so he decided to raze it all and start over.
|
|
|
|
| |
The Gothic Movement
|
|
| |
The cathedral was the seat of the diocese. It told believers the story of the life of Christ, but
it also was a sumptuous gift to God. In the Middle-Ages, beauty was measured in lightness and brightness.
Solidly anchored into the ground with deep foundations, the edifice was meant to crush Satan while
delicately reaching for the sky.
|
 |
Stone sculptures
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
The slightly broken arch of the ribbed vault enabled the pillars to carry the weight of the main
vault. This freed the walls to stretch upwards and be pierced with stained glass windows that were
no threat to the structural integrity of the building. Huge rose windows, as circles of divinity
that represented the infinite love of Mary for her son Jesus, filled the spaces with light. Lateral
pressure from the weight of the vault was offset by flying buttresses. Although this architectural
style was born in Ile-de-France in the 12th century, it was the Italian artists of the Renaissance
who named it “Gothic”. The barbarian Goths had invaded and pillaged Rome in the 5th century, and so
it was this derived adjective that Italians chose to denigrate a style that wasn’t classical enough
for their tastes. Even today, Gothic style still fills us with wonder.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
The Construction of the Cathedral
|
|
| |
For 170 years, Parisians only saw a huge construction site. Maurice de Sully had stones transported
from nearby quarries for them to be cut on location.
 |
|
Notre Dame at Christmas Time
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
On the cathedral square, every trade was represented as thousands of craftsmen came to contribute
to the fulfillment of such a monumental masterpiece. Carpenters, blacksmiths, glassmakers, sculptors,
and also various merchants all joined the crowd. Daring and revolutionary scaffoldings were put in
place to build ever higher and higher. They didn’t touch the ground but rather were attached to the
building structure itself and kept climbing up as the work progressed. Wooden arches were built at
the ceiling level. These were artificial ceilings on which rested the trapezoid stones. Once fitted
together, this wooden framework was removed and the stones held themselves in place due to their
shape. This new technique was efficient, but also had its limits. Notre-Dame de Paris stood at 115ft
above ground. In the frenzy to keep reaching towards the starry skies, the cathedral of Chartres was
built 121 ft tall, then the one in Amiens topped 138 ft. The cathedral of Beauvais had to be the
tallest one in the world, but in 1284, some of the 210 ft tall nave vaults collapsed and brought an
end to this race for structures of ever increasing size.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Notre-Dame, Today |
|
| |
How can one not marvel from the cathedral square at the sight of the full western facade of
Notre-Dame, standing there so serene and majestic. One could imagine the front to be flat, or
the building to form a perfect square, and be perfectly symmetrical. The whiteness of the stone
alone is captivating. But herein lies its true beauty. While the white stone plays against the sun,
the building’s symmetry is all but relative. There are several distinct levels that catch your eye.
Its three portals invite you to enter the kingdom of God. There is the Portal of the Last Judgment,
the Portal to the Virgin that depicts scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and the Entombment,
and the Portal to St Anne, mother of Mary, that tells the story of her childhood, her wedding, and
the birth of the infant Jesus. Right above the great doors are the 28 kings of Judea and Israel
carrying cut branches from the Tree of Jesse. These poor statues were decapitated in 1792 by the
revolutionaries who thought they represented the kings of France, and were redesigned a century
later by Viollet le Duc. Raising your eyes a little higher, you will see Mary with baby Jesus in
her arms, basking in the glow of a huge rose window almost 33 ft in diameter. Finally, the main
gallery connects the two towers that reach a height of 226 ft. One of them is slightly more slender
than the other, an unintentional special feature that only adds charm and beauty to the structure.
The towers seem to reach the sky and heavens above.
|
|
|
| |
Notre-Dame de Paris, in the Middle-Ages
|
|
| |
It was quite a different cathedral that Parisians and pilgrims were seeing in the Middle-Ages. To
make the transportation of stones and other building materials easier, Maurice de Sully demolished
the houses that stood in front of the future cathedral site, but the resulting square was still very
small compared to the one there today.
 |
|
Notre Dame at Night
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
Furthermore, many streets and houses of varying heights were still obstructing the view. It was
unfortunately impossible to contemplate the whole facade from any one point of view. Even when
standing right in front of it, there was not the necessary space to backup and admire it properly.
Another major difference back then was that the statues were painted. Theologians guided the
architects during construction, as they wanted to proclaim the mystery of the Divine Incarnation
at a time when printing didn’t exist and the people did not know how to read. The portals and walls
were essentially books made out of stone, and since color added relief to images, they were adorned
with polychrome statues to better transmit God’s message. All this color disappeared during the
imperial coronation of Napoleon, in December 1804. Both time and men had left their mark, and the
cathedral was whitewashed to hide its sorry state.
|
|
|
|
| |
Kilometer Zero |
|
| |
Notre-Dame de Paris endured many torments through the test of time and the abuses of men, but was
able to resist it all. There were pillages, fires, desecrations, and even a bomb that dropped through
its roof in 1914. Now more than eight centuries old, the cathedral is still standing, unchanging and
solid, majestically anchored on its island, still as awe-inspiring as ever. As early as the Middle-Ages,
when all roads in France and Navarre led to Paris, Notre-Dame was, and remains today, the ultimate
rallying point. All distances from Paris to the country’s borders are still measured starting from
Notre Dame. As a matter of interest, it is the town hall that serves as the starting point for
calculating distances from all the other cities and villages of France. Before it was even finished,
Notre-Dame was already and continues to be the location for major events such as the coronation of
Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor, the Liberation of Paris celebration in 1945, and the funeral of Charles
de Gaulle in 1970. Above all, the cathedral of Notre-Dame is the most beautiful and majestic monument
in Paris, and the most visited site in France.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
