Winner of the Fall 2016 StMU History Media Award for
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Whenever we hear the name Notre Dame, one of two things might come to mind: the movie that we all watched and loved, about a man who rang the bells at a church, called “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” or the notorious Fighting Irish football team in Indiana from Notre Dame University. Well, if you were hoping that this was an article on Quasimodo or the Division I football team, I am sorry to disappoint you. But do not be too discouraged because, instead, you will read about one of the most beautiful cathedrals that has ever been built (and it is in the film the “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” so that is relatively close). The Notre Dame de Paris, or as we call it in English, the Notre Dame Cathedral, is a massive Gothic cathedral that represents the times and art of medieval Europe.
The architectural style of Gothic came into existence in Europe in the mid-twelfth century and lasted until the sixteenth century.1 The idea of the Notre Dame de Paris, which translates to “Our Lady of Paris,” was established by Maurice de Sully in 1160 who was the bishop of Paris at the time.
He wanted to build a cathedral church dedicated to the Virgin Mary; hence the name’s translation. The first stone for the foundation was laid by Pope Alexander III in 1163.2 The Notre Dame Cathedral was built on the ruins of two previous churches in the eastern end of the Ile de la Cite, which is the “historical heart of the city.”3 The purpose for it being built, beside dedication to the Virgin Mary, was for it to be an education center. During the high middle ages, the increasing wealth and social complexity of the cities created the demand for educated individuals to deal with “political, legal, and theological issues.” The institution did not, however, hold classes inside of the cathedral. Instead, there was a school connected to the cathedral.4
Emerging from the Romanesque Era, the Gothic Age of architecture came along with its signature innovation: the flying buttress. You probably think I am joking with a name like that, but those types of appendages to the frames of Gothic cathedrals were what allowed for these cathedrals to be built so tall. During the Romanesque Era, cathedrals were much shorter due to the heavy stones that were used for building the walls, limiting how tall they could build. The classic Roman arches could not evenly distribute the weight with the dome shape they took.5
Now if we take a look at the cathedrals during the Gothic Age, the difference in height can be readily noticed. The cathedrals during this time seemed to tower over those of the previous era. For that, we can thank the flying buttresses that were mentioned earlier. These buttresses were able to absorb the weight displacement of the walls, allowing them to be made taller, and allowing them to have large spaces for stained glass windows, which were not possible for Romanesque cathedrals. The weight of the stones could be easily supported by the thin intersecting arches. The architects discovered that the outward thrust of the vaults were concentrated in the small areas at the springing of the ribs and were also deflected downward by the pointed arches; the pressure could be counteracted by the narrow buttresses. Rows of carved flying buttresses created the signature look for Gothic masterpieces such as the Notre Dame de Paris, Amiens, and Beauvais.6
The Notre Dame de Paris is a model cathedral for the era of Gothic Architecture. The multipurpose cathedral created an environment of religious and secular education that helped shape the minds of the world. I know that there was no mention of a “Hunchback” in this article of the Notre-Dame, but I can guarantee that Quasimodo was proud to ring the bells of such a monumental cathedral.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v. “Gothic Architecture.” ↵
- Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition s.v. “Notre-Dame de Paris.” ↵
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v. “Notre-Dame de Paris.“ ↵
- Earle E. Cairns, Christianity Through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church (Zondervan, 1996), 234. ↵
- Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2016, s.v. “Romanesque Art and Architecture.” ↵
- Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2016, s.v. “Romanesque Art and Architecture.” ↵
125 comments
Saira Locke
I just learned about the gothic architecture in my civilization class and it is very fascinating. It is amazing how even back them they were capable of creating such long-lasting beautiful art. This history of Paris is so amazing as well as the Notre Dame. This cathedral is amazing and really gives us a true insight on the gothic architecture that was once a reality to many.
Stephanie Cerda
The cathedral is very beautiful! The history it has is amazing, and it is a historical monument that should be preserved. I understand why people were inclined to donate so much money to preserve it. It’s a great piece of history. Personally, even though it is beautiful, it’s a bit disheartening to see how much money was donated to it but other things that are also important don’t receive much attention. It’s still great and a beautiful place to visit though.
Kristina Tijerina
The Notre Dame cathedral is one of the most beautiful and most talked about cathedrals in the world. Many people are aware of the cathedral, but not many people are aware of how it was built. The classic roman arch could not sustain the dome shape that architects were aiming for in the process of building these Gothic cathedrals. Instead, they found a way to make the domes very tall and still leave space for stain glass windows, which the regular roman arch could not do. This method was known as the flying buttress. With the flying buttress, cathedrals were able to stand tall while carrying heavy amounts of weight from stones.
Mauro Bustamante
The main structure and stone arches still stand, which gives the Parisians as well as history and architecture lovers all over the world hope that the cathedral will be rebuilt to honor its antiquated beauty.The famous spire collapsed, as did most of the roof, the Notre Dame has so much history in it and beautiful architecture embedded in its cores. This article really was informative and I now understand why people were donating millions to fix this beautiful piece, this article was written with great information.
Courtney Pena
The Notre Dame Cathedral is known for its architecture and unfortunately for burning down. This article was able to educate me since I did not know that Notre Dame de Paris translates to Our Lady of Paris. Also, I did not know that the first stone laid on the Notre Dame Cathedral was by Pope Alexander III in 1663. Overall, I hope that the Notre Dame Cathedral is able to be rebuilt with the Gothic Architecture.
Eliezer Leal
This article is interesting, granted I do not know much about architecture. It was interesting to learn about the Gothic style of architecture and how they would construct these complex cathedrals and their domes. Cathedrals and other buildings around the world use this beautiful architectural style, although difficult to construct. All in all this was a good article.
Nelly Perez
The Notre Dame Cathedral is a beautiful piece of architecture. The “Hunchback of Notre Dame” film connection for this article was great to bring some nostalgia to it. Getting to know what made the cathedral great was nice to know. I didn’t know what a buttress was until I got to read more of it and how they made the cathedrals high.
Kasandra Ramirez Ferrer
I think this article is amazing because it shares the style and architectural inspiration that was based on to build this cathedral, I also loved how the article mentions that Pope Alexander III. It is a shame that such a magnificent cathedral was destroyed, it was such an amazing place and unique that had such a rich history. The government said that the cathedral will be rebuilt within the next 5 years, I don’t will be able to restore to what it was once but there is no doubt that it’s worth to try.
D'Hannah Duran
I had always loved the way that Notre Dame looks, it is one of the most beautiful cathedrals. To be able to learn about the architecture of the building and learn about the flying buttresses was amazing. I enjoyed how the beginning of the article referenced the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Notre Dame football team. It is a tragedy that the building burned I hope it is able to be restored to the beautiful building it once was.
Rinnu Joy
I knew that the Norte Dame is one of the most beautiful cathedrals. But I was ignorant about its architectural side. I have learned about the Gothic architecture and its special characteristics like tall walls,, glass windows and so on. It is only now I came to know that Our Lady of Paris is built in Gothic style. The fire destruction had made a great impact on it. Hopefully they would be able to rebuild it. This article is easy to read and well written.
Congratulations for the great work!