Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris


	Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

Notre Dame (the Cathedral of Paris)
Paris, 1163-1225

Located in the center of Paris and flanked by two branches of the Seine River, Notre Dame is one of the most famous Gothic cathedrals.

^MAS The cathedral is named for the Virgin Mary (Our Lady) as so many Gothic churches are. Reverence for Mary was growing dramatically during the Gothic period. Some scholars even compare the Gothic style with the Virgin, seeing the light of the Gothic style as spiritual and the color as feminine.

^MAS

The front facade, executed somewhat later than the nave, honors the Virgin in one of the two side entrances. It depicts typical subjects in her life. The events not described in the Bible but were an important part of medieval tradition relating to the Virgin. In the lintel she is on her death bed surrounded by the Apostles, who, according to apocryphal works, were borne on a cloud from all parts of the world to her home. The figure of Christ stands behind her and angels are about to bear her body to Heaven.

The Coronation of Mary is a typical scene depicted in Gothic art. Here, as Queen of Heaven, she is seated by Christ as a crown is placed on her head.
Click here for more images of the West tympana and architectural sculpture at Notre Dame cathedral.

Notice the Flying Buttresses

^MAS

^MAS
Helen Gardner's Art Through the Ages defines buttress as "an exterior masonry structure that opposes the lateral thrust of an arch or vault. A pier buttress is a solid mass of masonry; a flying buttress consists typically of an inclined member carried on an arch or a series of arches and a solid buttress to which it transmit lateral thrust." The pier buttresses are clearly evident between the windows of the nave wall; the detail shows the arch of a small flying buttress. The very long flying buttresses of the apse are attached to pier buttresses (not visible in the image), which transmit the thrust of the their arches. Because Gothic builders used this external support structure, they were able to create higher vaults and pierce the walls (no longer needed for support) with larger windows. All of these techniques lead to a more graceful, less heavy-looking interior and cause the Gothic cathedral to be filled with light, often colored light reflected from stained glass windows.
Click here for more flying buttresses.

Art History for Humanities: Copyright © 1997 Bluffton College.
Text and image preparation by Mary Ann Sullivan. Design by Gerald W. Schlabach.

All images marked ^MAS were photographed on location by Mary Ann Sullivan. All other images were scanned from other sources or downloaded from the World Wide Web; they are posted on this password-protected site for educational purposes, at Bluffton College only, under the "fair use" clause of U.S. copyright law.

Page maintained by Gerald W. Schlabach, gws@bluffton.edu. Last updated: 28 October 1997.

4 October 1997

	Notre Dame (the Cathedral of Paris) Paris, 1163-1225
	Located in the center of Paris and flanked by two branches of the Seine River, Notre Dame is one of the most famous Gothic cathedrals.
^MAS	The cathedral is named for the Virgin Mary (Our Lady) as so many Gothic churches are. Reverence for Mary was growing dramatically during the Gothic period. Some scholars even compare the Gothic style with the Virgin, seeing the light of the Gothic style as spiritual and the color as feminine.
^MAS	The front facade, executed somewhat later than the nave, honors the Virgin in one of the two side entrances. It depicts typical subjects in her life. The events not described in the Bible but were an important part of medieval tradition relating to the Virgin. In the lintel she is on her death bed surrounded by the Apostles, who, according to apocryphal works, were borne on a cloud from all parts of the world to her home. The figure of Christ stands behind her and angels are about to bear her body to Heaven.
	The Coronation of Mary is a typical scene depicted in Gothic art. Here, as Queen of Heaven, she is seated by Christ as a crown is placed on her head. Click here for more images of the West tympana and architectural sculpture at Notre Dame cathedral.
	*Notice the Flying Buttresses*
^MAS ^MAS	Helen Gardner's Art Through the Ages defines buttress as "an exterior masonry structure that opposes the lateral thrust of an arch or vault. A pier buttress is a solid mass of masonry; a flying buttress consists typically of an inclined member carried on an arch or a series of arches and a solid buttress to which it transmit lateral thrust." The pier buttresses are clearly evident between the windows of the nave wall; the detail shows the arch of a small flying buttress. The very long flying buttresses of the apse are attached to pier buttresses (not visible in the image), which transmit the thrust of the their arches. Because Gothic builders used this external support structure, they were able to create higher vaults and pierce the walls (no longer needed for support) with larger windows. All of these techniques lead to a more graceful, less heavy-looking interior and cause the Gothic cathedral to be filled with light, often colored light reflected from stained glass windows. Click here for more flying buttresses.