The Notre Dame Cathedral is the most visited tourist site in France, beating the Eiffel tower with 13 million visitors each year. Because it took over 300 years to build, there are many different styles of the architecture shown throughout the building(notredamecathedralparis.com). This structure shows the hardships of war and the enlightened thinking of the Renaissance. Built in 12th century France, the Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the biggest French Catholic cathedrals in France and is still functional as a regular Church(sacred-destinations.com). This gem of architecture is a true wonder and represents the sacred and hopeful times of the middle ages and the renaissance. This mountainous structure is seen from about every point of Paris and beyond. From the front, you can see two towers jutting out of an ordinary street. The Cathedral also features large stained glass windows, that are one of the most beautiful features of the structures. From the side, you can see the long body of the Cathedral and the spire sticking out of the top. It is somewhat overwhelming being within feet of the structure, because of the immense height and width of the church. Looking at the back, one can clearly see the dome-like structures attaching to the organ room. From the outside, you can clearly see the sculptures depicting the scenes from the Catholic religion. The cathedral is gigantic, but it is easy to process all the sections because of the distinct styles of architecture. From an
The New Cathedral is a prime example of Gothic architecture. Much of the cathedral is covered
Some people go to the notre-Dame Cathedral which has a huge nativity scene and one of the most famous.
Sainte-Chapelle is known for their integrate details inside and outside of the church. Although the main focus of the church is the upper level with the stained glass windows, the exterior design of the church is just integrate.
The cathedral has a ninety-two-foot-long nave and short transepts to the south and north. The east end is round. Since this building was made very tall in order to been seen from miles away, they use flying buttresses and ribbed vaults to help support the buildings walls. This skeletal system of supported allowed for large spaces of the cathedral to be free to put in stained-glass work. This stained-glass work is also said to be one of the most complete collections of medieval stained glass in the world. The cathedral has three large rose windows and the doors and porches have medieval carvings of statues. The statues were based on figures from the Old Testament, but some also regarded images of current kings and queens. Having their statues
Another distinctive feature of Chartres is its three-part elevation with the external buttresses allowing for larger glass windows than previous designs. Unlike most cathedrals built during the same period, the window panes were filled with equally dense stained glass, creating a dark, but rich panel of illuminated narration. The high clerestory windows along the nave, the aisle and ambulatory windows and the rose windows, and transepts in the north and south portals are the allow for natural light to illuminate the cathedral.
Otto von Simson, The Gothic cathedral: origins of Gothic architecture and the medieval concept of order (New York: Pantheon Books, 1956), 21-39.
Chartres Cathedral is one of the most significant achievements of all the historical architecture. Additionally, it is entirely preserved with its original details. The unique features of the cathedral are intact, and thus when one visits the place, he or she is likely to encounter the authentic architecture work as it was done many years ago. Chartres Cathedral symbolizes an atmosphere of awe and holiness (Katzenellenbogen, 2). As such, it was built for religious purposes. However, it attracts the nonbelievers as well. As a holy building, it has many glass windows to light the building. Due to its height, a double flying buttresses is used to support the high nave. The cathedral was the first building in history that used buttresses since it was considered as necessary for the peoples’ culture and as a sign of authority. It was built to reflect a symbol of power since the religious leaders engaged in politics too. The cathedral has many statuses that represent the Biblical aspects such as Elijah, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah, and Simeon (Katzenellenbogen, 9). The standings portray the Christian faith that was used by the architectures while building the cathedral. The interior floor stands thirty-six meters high and is one hundred and twenty-eight meters wide. The sizes show how vital it is and it can host many peoples who visit for religious functions.
The Notre Dame Cathedral is certainly one of the most beautiful locations in the world, as the city of Paris as a whole and the building's surroundings contribute to making visitors acknowledge the importance of this monument. Construction on the cathedral started in 1163 and was largely finished by 1250, with most of its features emphasizing Gothic influences. The building's architecture, the sculptures present in it, and the impressive stained glass all stand as reminders that the French community invested most of its cultural values into the church at the time when it was constructed.
The National Cathedral is a wonderful and amazing structure. It is located in Washington D.C. and it has gigantic stained glass windows, many gargoyles, and can hold a very large service.
The architectural masterpiece that fascinated me the most in Paris was the famous French Cathedral:
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims, northeast of Paris near Champagne was the coronation church of the kings of France and was an educational and cultural center. Also built of limestone, the architecture of the Reims Cathedral features Gothic style. It symbolizes an Early Gothic, Radiant Gothic and Flamboyant Gothic. The Reims Cathedral depicts a classic harmonic facade containing four levels. Its interior is defined by its towering heights and narrow proportions, and elaborate sculptural works. Because of the high quality of workmanship and materials used, Reims Cathedral features some of the most beautiful gothic art in existence. Five different cathedrals have been on the site on which Reims cathedral now sits since 401 CE. The current cathedral was built in 1211, after the previous cathedral had burned down. The new building was almost entirely finished by the end of the thirteenth century. 88 gargoyles were counted on the Reims Cathedral and are mainly used to drain off rainwater and are exceptional pieces of work, but do show the slight difference between Gothic and Romanesque styles. The stained glass windows are a beautiful part of Reims despite being damaged or ruined several times in the 18th century; the cathedral still has many 13th century stained glass windows, in the upper parts of the nave, choir and transept. On the opposite side of the great western portal, the Great Rose Window, dating from the end of the 13th century, represents “the Crowning
A powerful symbol of the Middle Ages was the glorious cathedrals. Between 1000-1540 A.D. hundreds of cathedrals were built across Europe. Completion of these grand structures required hundreds of workers who labored more than a hundred years. These large structures contained millions of pounds of carefully carved stone; making them larger and more glorious than castles of the time. Murals, sculptures, tapestries, paintings and ornate windows embellished the cathedrals. Public life centered around cathedrals. Advancement of art and architecture was made although it was the Dark Ages. Cathedrals remain an influential image of the Middle Ages.
All over the world, people still come to admire the beauty of European cathedrals. Many of the cathedrals are fragile due to age, neglect, pollution, and insufficient funds available to restore these historical and magnificent buildings. Nevertheless, visitors to these architectural masterpieces are fascinated by the design and structure of these churches. The cathedral builders using their own ingenuity, expertise, and limited resources were able to defy the laws of gravity and time. (Icher 30)
Reims Cathedral was built within the Marne department of the Champagne-Ardenne region between the years 1212-1300. However, Reims genesis dates back to 496 AD as a previous cathedral once occupied the land on which the new cathedral was built upon. A fire destroyed the original cathedral structure on May 6th, 1210. 2 years after the fire, it was decided to initiate work on the construction of the new, cathedral that exists to this present day. This second cathedral is in the French gothic style and was designed to be much more capacious in contrast to its fire- destroyed predecessor. ”The nave and aisles of the western arm are broadened out in the eastern arm.” This logic permitted larger crowds to attend coronation ceremonies. The cathedrals predominant function is a place of worship under the denomination of Roman Catholics. An assembly of architects participated in the design over a period of 7 centuries due to adaptations and refinements materialised to its design. Such names consist of Jean d 'Orbais (1175-1231); responsible for the first initial design work of the cathedral, Henri Deneux (1874-1969); who laboured over the architectural restoration of Reims after bombing raids in WW1, Bernard de Soissons (birth date and death date unknown) noted as a participant with Jean in the initial design work of the cathedral. One fundamental aspect explored by studying Reims Cathedral is the quality of natural light and how it is affected by its both artistic and
Built as a tribute to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the cathedral was constructed between 1987-1914 from a design by Paul Abadie. Its luminous white façade, huge dome of more than 200 feet, and Byzantine style make it an unusual church, even for Paris. So elaborate is its gingerbread façade that it looks like it belongs