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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
Cynthia Rodriguez
I first wanted to point out that I enjoyed your writing style. I especially liked your introduction. This article had a more casual feel to it, yet it was still very informative. I really learned a lot from this article. First of all, I did not know that “Notre Dame” translates to “our lady.” Secondly, I had never heard of this cathedral before. Lastly, I learned about the innovation that came from this cathedral: a flying buttress. Not only does it act as a support, but it adds to the beauty of the architecture. I thought you made a good choice in images you selected. The cathedral is absolutely beautiful. Overall, great job!
Daniela Martinez
This article is very informative, and the selection of images is greatly appreciated. I liked how the article highlights how the cathedral defers from others built before it. Not to mention how the article speaks on Gothic architecture was truly one of a kind. I personally took AP Art History in high school and was very excited to see that there was an article on the Notre Dame, that further expanded my previous knowledge on the cathedral.
Daniela
It is very interesting to get to know more about such a beautiful treasure! I had heard about Notre Damme before, but just as it was mentioned at the beginning of the article, we often are not truly familiarized with what it means, and with the cultural and artistic value it possesses. Hence, it was very interesting to get an insight into other beautiful aspects of this cathedral, such as its cultural Gothic traces, instead of the simple touristic attributes that are commonly heard. It is always surprising to notice the importance of structure and architecture in buildings and places like this, for it is truly admirable how the narrowness and the pointed shape of a simple buttress can be enough to hold and distribute the weight of such a huge edification. This was a very interesting and different insight into an otherwise underestimated historical and cultural attribute.
Eric Ortega Rodriguez
I wanted to start off by saying how informative this article and the selection of pictures in it were very well thought of. I never knew that the Notre Dame Cathedral was made in dedication to the Virgin Mary. I found that gesture by Maurice de Sully to be very thoughtful. As a reading along, I found it fascinating how buttresses allowed the building to be created the way it was. I found the Gothic architecture very beautiful and now Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the places I wish to visit.
Gabriela Ochoa
This was a really great article. I love how it was written, it made it more fun to read. Before reading the article I had never heard of this cathedral other than the movie. The Gothic architecture is really beautiful and I’m glad you touch of how it was put together and how it differed from previous cathedrals in the era before.
Monica Avila
I really enjoyed how captivating this article was. I have always been big on architecture, and reading about the construction of the Notre Dame cathedral was very interesting. I did not know that it was built dedicated to the Virgin Mary, so that was my favorite part of the article. The pictures were very beautiful, and I very much enjoyed reading about the history behind this remarkable landmark.
Anna Guaderrama
This is such a cool article! I really enjoyed reading it and found it and overall delight to learn about. Also, the title really stuck out to me, personally, that’s what caught my attention and really made me excited to read it. I really also love the architectural style of the cathedral, but then again I’ve always found the Gothic style to be really pretty and unique. I also find it humbling that they dedicated it to the Virgin Mary.
Natalia Flores
This is the first time I’ve read an article on Gothic architecture and I gotta say it was a great choice to write about Notre Dame. I didn’t know that the church was built on two other previous churches or that the church was built for the Virgin Mary specifically. I did get the Hunchback of Notre Dame references and it reminded me of “God help the outcasts”, especially that picture you included!
Vanessa Tombo
Les Cloches de Notre Dame (“The Hunchback of Notre Dame”) is one of my favorite animated movies growing up. Prior to reading this article, I knew very little of Notre Dame cathedral aside from what I saw in the animated film. The style and diction that the author uses make this article come to life. Which is extremely interesting to say the very least.
Arianna Kennet
I have seen images of the Notre Dame Cathedral before but I never actually knew much about it till I read this article. Its nice to know how this cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and how the name is translated to Our Lady of Paris, something I did not know. The architecture in this cathedral is beautiful, very carefully built and well thought. Makes me want to visit the place myself.