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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
Anais Del Rio
This was a very entertaining and informative article to read especially when Notre Dame is mentioned people have different ideas of what it could be. I personally had a chance to visit the cathedral a few years back and it was as beautiful as the picture shown. It was interesting to read about the history of its creation and how it compares to other styles of architecture. One favorite part of the article was knowing what the translation of Notre Dame is since I haven’t heard of it before.
Regina De La Parra
Great article! I really enjoyed reading it. I am glad that it was written in a very interesting way. It really captivated my attention. Also, the title really stood out amongst the others! I find it really cool how the cathedral was constructed and what inspired the creators to dedicate it to the Virgin Mary. I think this really demonstrates their devotion to her. Great job Soki!
Maria Esquivel
When I read the beginning I did think about Notre Dame University, but I am glad it was about the Notre Dame Cathedral. I found this article very interesting, it described the architectural style of the cathedral so well. I also found the pictures so beautiful and the idea that the church was dedicated to our Virgin Mary really captivating. I really enjoyed reading this article, great job!
Belia Camarena
Great job writing this article! It was very enjoyable to read, and I love how the author’s voice can be heard throughout. The cover image is great; it is what drew me to this article in the first place. After reading the article, I was able to better appreciate the picture of the cathedral. I had no idea that the invention of flying buttresses are what allowed the cathedral to be built so unique.
Alexandra Cantu
I really enjoyed this article about the architecture of Notre Dame. The introduction was captivating and I loved it! I did think of both things the Hunchback of Notre Dame as well as the University so that was funny! Its lovely that this cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and how it translated to “Our Lady of Paris”. Great article!
Elias Garza
I love everything that I was able to take from this article. To start off, ever since my mom told me about the story when she went to Paris, I have always wanted to go. Additionally, I grew up praying to the Virgin Mary, and sometimes I still do. I also enjoyed how depth the author went when he talked about constructing a building.
Samuel Ruiz
Great article! It has always amazed me how cathedrals and churches were once built as education centers in addition to places of religious practice. I loved the comparison and explanation of the different building structures of tall and short cathedrals. Personally, I always thought of the university when hearing of Notre Dame but it was nice to learn of the meaning behind Notre Dame de Paris.
Evian-loren Salgado
This was a very interesting article regarding the architecture of the Notre Dame de Paris. I like that the author went into detail explaining how the Cathedral was built using new techniques as well as the author compared the Cathedral to older buildings with the same Roman Arches. The Notre Dame de Paris was built during the Gothic age of Architecture which the author mention. Overall this was a very well written and interesting article on the architecture and history of the Notre Dame de Paris.
Caroline Bush
Interesting article! I really enjoyed the amount of detail you put into talking about the architecture. I really find the Notre Dame Cathedral interesting because we used to talk about it during class in high school. It really is a beautiful building that I would love to visit someday. Overall this was a very interesting article that had a good amount of detail yet kept the reader interested at the same time.
Belia Camarena
This is a great article, and it is very well written. I liked that the author’s sense of humor came through in the first paragraph and then later on; this was a nice change from other articles, and it gave it a sense of life. In addition, I like that the author chose to highlight the gothic style that was used to design this cathedral, and her descriptions were very informative. Prior to reading this, I had never heard of flying buttresses.