NOTRE-DAME

Notre Dame de Paris (French for Our Lady of Paris), also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Catholiccathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France.

It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, unlike that of earlier Romanesque architecture. Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris decided to replace the old basilica with something that rivals the great basilica of St. Denis. Notre Dame became the most beautiful and important church in the city, Before the Choir was built, then the aisles, the main facade and towers (between 1180 and 1245). The architect who worked on the chapels of the aisles was Jean de Chelles ,instead Pierre Montreuil worked on the south side of it.   

The works ended in 1345, but since then it suffered a series of degradation by the weather, the looting and neglect ,and in 1844 until 1864 it was restored by Violet-le-Duc. But during the French Revolution ,it suffered severe blows,The looters also destroyed statues of the king of Judea, 28 of which he saved only 21 heads. Victor Hugo celebrated it whit his work "Notre-Dame de Paris" whose hero, Quasimodo, has become a legendary  figure.

Fabrizio Cappuccio

Notre-Dame

In the  Île de la Citè  we admire splendid medieval monuments, for example: Notre Dame.

Notre Dame is the cathedral of Paris and it is a monument very famous in the capital. This gothic church was built between 1163 into 1240 by the initiative of Bishop Maurice Sully. The proportions are magnificent and harmonious: it is about 130 metres long, 180 large and 35 tall (69 at the topof the towers). The western side has got three big portals: the portal of the doom (Christianity same as Judgment Day), the portal of Virgin Mary and the portal of Saint Anne. On the portals we can see the kings’ gallery of Judah and Israel, the ancestors of Christ, and above there is a big rose window at the centre.This church can contain ten thousand people, the interior is severe and empty.

Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports). The building  was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. After  the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern. The cathedral was essentially complete by 1345.

In 1984, four  titular organists were appointed at Notre Dame: Jean-Pierre Leguay, Olivier Latry, Yves Devernay  and Philippe Lefebvre.This was reminiscent of the 18th-century practice of the cathedral having four  titular organists, each one playing for three months of the year. Since 2010 the organ is also played by Thijs Sandman, a former student of Olivier Latry.

Victor Hugo wrote a romance with title “Notre Dame de Paris”. The main characters are Quasimodo (almost formed) ugly and deformed, but with a good heart and Esmeralda (her name comes from the stone that she wear hanging from her neck) will lead to rack herself and the other characters. At the end on 16 September 1998 debuts a Paris the musical of Riccardo Cocciante inspired from the romance.

                                                                                   Antonella Carbone

.