La Cathédral de Notre Dame

La Cathédral de Notre Dame, situated on the Ile de la Cite and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was begun in 1163. On completion of the choir in 1183, work was begun on the nave and completed about 1200. The appearance of the interior was radically transformed in the mid-13th century when the small clerestory windows typical of the Early Gothic style were enlarged downward and filled with High Gothic tracery. The enlargement caused the removal of the unusual triforium. Originally, the interior had the four-story elevation common to many Early Gothic churches, and the triforium had large round openings instead of the normal arcades. In his restoration (begun 1844), Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-duc reinstated the triforium and small clerestory windows in the eastern bay of the nave. The six-part rib vaults and the thin elements articulating the wall are also typically Early Gothic.

From the exterior, however, the building appears to be High Gothic. Notable features include the profusion of colonnettes and tracery screens, the horizontal and vertical ordering of the facades, the imposing size of the rose windows, and the delicacy of the flying buttresses. All these elements were constructed in a series of building projects carried out between 1200 and 1260. The sculpture on the west facade, badly damaged during the French Revolution, was also restored in the 19th century.

	While this is not the front of la Cathédral de Notre Dame, I will point out that the architecture is very similar to that of la Cathédral de Notre Dame. I am not exactly sure what cathédral this is, though my memory wants to say that it is the Cathédral at Chartres (I'm pretty darned sure that it isn't, but oh well). Who is to say for sure? If you know, then send me e-mail at iacas@erie.net.
	This is a picture of some flying buttresses, a common engineering trick used by many of the time period's architects. They supported the weight of the building more sturdily than plain walls. Many buttresses were incorporated into the church, and served as side alleys in the interior. These flying buttresses are actually from the cathédral at Chartres. Flying buttresses can be more clearly seen in this picture of la Cathédral de Notre Dame
	This is a picture of the western end of la Cathédral de Notre Dame. As always, la Cathédral de Notre Dame faces from east to west, so that the sun and God's glory (or something like that) have the most holy influence on churchgoers. If you have any other reasons why churches face the east, silly or not, e-mail me with the reason. Thanks. Well, Paris.org has done it again! Here are some pages for la Cathédral de Notre Dame

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by: Erik J. Barzeski
iacas@erie.net