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For other uses, see Notre Dame.
Notre Dame de Paris: Western Façade
Notre Dame de Paris: Western Façade
Notre Dame de Paris: Flying Buttress
Notre Dame de Paris: Flying Buttress

Notre Dame de Paris, known simply as Notre Dame in English (pronounced [nɔtʀə dam] in French, IPA: /ˌnɒtrə ˈdɑːm/ in the UK), is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in Paris, France, with its main entrance to the west. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral The Île de la Cité is one of two natural Islands in the Seine within the city of Paris (the other being Île Saint-Louis, the Île des Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. It is still used as a Roman Catholic cathedral and is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation It was restored and saved from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc ( January 27 1814 &ndash September 17, 1879) was a French Architect and theorist famous for his "restorations" The name Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French. This ecumenical article is about general Christian views on and veneration of the Virgin Mary French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people 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, giving them a more secular look that was lacking from earlier Romanesque architecture. For the Blackford Oakes novel see Stained Glass (novel The term stained glass refers either to the material of coloured Glass or to the art Naturalism in art refers to the depiction of realistic objects in a natural setting Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which

Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress. A flying buttress, or arc-boutant, is a specific type of Buttress usually found on a religious building such as a Cathedral. The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. In Romanesque and Gothic Christian Abbey, Cathedral Basilica and church Architecture, the nave is the 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 as such.

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. Desecration is the act of depriving something of its sacred character -- or the disrespectful or contemptuous treatment of that which is held to be sacred by a group or individual The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an During the 19th century, an extensive restoration project was completed, returning the cathedral to its previous state.

Contents

Construction

Façade, showing the Portal of the Virgin, Portal of the Last Judgment and Portal of St-Anne
Façade, showing the Portal of the Virgin, Portal of the Last Judgment and Portal of St-Anne

In 1160, because the church in Paris had become the "parish church of the kings of Europe", Bishop Maurice de Sully deemed the current Parisian cathedral unworthy of its lofty role, and had it demolished shortly after he assumed the title of Bishop of Paris. In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment or Day of the Lord is the judgment by God of every human who ever lived Saint Anne (also Ann or Anna of David's house and line was the mother of the Virgin Mary, according to Christian tradition Maurice de Sully (died September 11, 1196) was Bishop of Paris from 1160 until his death According to legend, de Sully had a vision of a glorious new cathedral for Paris, and sketched it in the dirt outside of 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. Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young (Louis le Jeune 1120 – 18 September 1180) was King of France, the son and successor Pope Alexander III (c 1100/1105 &ndash August 30, 1181) born Rolando (or Orlando) Bandinelli, was Pope from 1159 The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will 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.

The cathedral illuminated at night
The cathedral illuminated at night

Construction of the west front, with its distinctive two towers, began circa 1200, before the nave had been completed, contrary to normal construction practice. In Romanesque and Gothic Christian Abbey, Cathedral Basilica and church Architecture, the nave is the 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. An architect is a licensed individual who leads a design team in the Planning and Design of buildings and participates in oversight of Building Construction Between 1210 and 1220, the fourth architect oversaw the construction of the level with the rose window and the great halls beneath the towers. A Rose window (or Catherine window) is often used as a generic term applied to a circular Window, but is especially used for those found in churches The towers were completed around 1245, and the cathedral was completed around 1345.

Dimensions

Timeline of construction

The organ

View from the south
View from the south

Though several organs were installed in the cathedral over time, the earliest ones were inadequate to the building. The pipe organ is a Musical instrument that produces sound when pressurized air (wind is driven through a series of pipes, controlled by a keyboard The first noteworthy organ was finished in the early 1700s by the noted builder Clicquot. Some of Clicquot's original pipework in the pedal division continues to sound from the organ today, almost 270 years after being installed. The organ was almost completely rebuilt and expanded in the 19th century by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Aristide Cavaillé-Coll ( 4 February 1811 &ndash 13 October 1899) was a French Organ builder.

The position of titular organist at Notre-Dame is considered as one of the most prestigious organist posts in France, along with the titulaire post of Saint Sulpice in Paris, Cavaillé-Coll's largest instrument. Saint-Sulpice (/sɛ̃ sylpis/ is a famous Parisian church on the east side of the Place Saint-Sulpice, in the Luxembourg Quarter of the VIe arrondissement

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. An organ stop (or just stop) is a component of a Pipe organ which admits pressurized air (known as wind) to a set of Organ pipes Its name A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a Pipe organ, Harpsichord, Clavichord, A pedalboard (also called a pedal keyboard pedal clavier or with electronic instruments a bass pedalboard is a keyboard played with the feet that is usually used to In December 1992 work was completed on the organ that fully computerized the organ under 3 LANs (Local Area Networks).

Among the best-known organists at Notre Dame was Louis Vierne, who held this position from 1900 to 1937. Louis Victor Jules Vierne was a renowned French organist and Composer. Under his tenure, the Cavaillé-Coll organ was modified in its tonal character, notably in 1902 and 1932. 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 can still be seen in the Notre Dame museum, 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". Pierre Eugène Charles Cochereau (July 9 1924&ndashMarch 5 1984 was a French Organist, Improviser, Composer, and Pedagogue. The action of a Piano is the mechanical assembly which translates the depression of the piano keys into a Felt hammer striking the strings En Chamade (French "to sound a parley" refers to powerfully voiced reed stops in a Pipe organ that are mounted horizontally rather than vertically in the front of 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 1989, another restoration to the instrument was undertaken, which was completed in 1992.

Alterations, vandalism, and restorations

In 1548, rioting Huguenots damaged features of the cathedral, considering them idolatrous. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth Idolatry is usually defined as Worship of any Cult image, Idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God. 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. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent Louis XV (15 February 1710 &ndash 10 May 1774 ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774 Tombs and stained glass windows were destroyed. The north and south rose windows were spared this fate, however.

Sculpture from the restoration program
Sculpture from the restoration program

In 1793, during the French Revolution, the cathedral was rededicated to the Cult of Reason, and then to the Cult of the Supreme Being. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The Cult of Reason (Culte de la Raison was a creed based on Secularism and Atheism devised during the French Revolution by Jacques Hébert The Cult of the Supreme Being ( French: Culte de l'Être suprême) was a religion based on Deism devised by Maximilien Robespierre, intended to 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. Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. Many of the heads were found during a 1977 excavation nearby and are on display at the Musée de Cluny. The Musée de Cluny, officially known as Musée National du Moyen Âge, is a Museum in Paris, France. For a time, Lady Liberty replaced the Virgin Mary on several altars. Goddesses named for and representing the concept Liberty have existed in many cultures including classical examples dating from the Roman Empire and some national symbols such The cathedral's great bells managed to avoid being melted down. The cathedral also 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 chimeras on the Galerie des Chimères. A flèche (from the French for Arrow) is used in French Architecture to refer to a Spire and in English to refer to a lead-covered timber A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building particularly a church Tower. In Architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone Grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building Viollet le Duc always signed his work with a bat, the wing structure of which most resembles the Gothic vault (see Roquetaillade castle). The Château de Roquetaillade is a Castle in Mazères (near Bordeaux in the French département of Gironde.

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. The Paris Commune (La Commune de Paris was a Government that briefly ruled Paris from 18 March (more formally from 26 March) to 28 May 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. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. They were 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 2008, the cleaning and restoration of old sculptures being an exceedingly delicate matter.

The bells

There are five bells at Notre Dame. A church bell is a bell which is rung in a (especially Christian) church either to signify the Hour or the time for worshippers to go to 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. The bourdon is the heaviest of the bells that belong to a musical instrument especially a chime or a Carillon, and produces its lowest tone 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.

Significant events at Notre Dame

The cathedral is renowned for its Lent sermons founded by the famous Dominican Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire in the 1840s. Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The Order of Preachers ( Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, Father Henri-Dominique Lacordaire born on the 12 May, 1802 at Recey-sur-Ource ( Côte-d'Or) died on the In recent years, however, an increasing number have been given by leading public figures and state-employed academics. Many of their audience, however, are foreigners, and as such obliged to a devoir de réserve.

Miscellany

Access

Paris Métro
 located near the metro station: Cité. The following is a list of all stations of the Paris Métro, sorted by lines Cité is a station of the Paris Métro, serving Line 4. It is the only station located on the Île de la Cité, and serves Notre-Dame

See also

References

External links

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