History and Architecture Design of Notre Dame De Paris - Article Example

History and Architecture Design of Notre Dame De Paris Introduction The Notre Dame Cathedral is a beautiful Catholic Church on the de Île la Cité in Paris. The cathedral started in the year 1163, and its completion was by the year 1250. Notre Dame can be described as a significant example of architecture known as French Gothic, stained, and sculpture. The cathedral ‘The Notre Dame’ is the famous and popular monument in Paris and entire France, beating the popular Eiffel Tower that is visited by 13 million people every year. However, the popular cathedral is actively Catholic Church, the focal point for Catholicism, and a place of pilgrimage in France. Religious events of national important are still taking place in Notre Dame De Paris(Krautheimer 25). The paper attempts to analyze the history of the building, and this is in terms of the architects involved in designing, client and construction process. The paper would also analyze the place of construction in terms of two factors. Primarily, the intended meaning of the space/place, and second the associational meaning of the place to people. History of the Building The Notre Dame Cathedral Church is standing on the location of Paris first Christian Roman church, S.t Etienne basilica. It was itself constructed on the site of a Roman Catholic Church to Jupiter. Notre-Dame De Paris Cathedral early style was magnificent Cathedral constructed. In the year 1793, the Notre Dame cathedral church felled among the victims of the Revolution in France. Most treasures and sculptures were merely plundered or destroyed. The Notre Dame de Paris was rededicated Supreme Being Cult but before it was Reason Cult. Virgin Mary was replaced by Liberty on most altars. The church also at a given time was used as warehouse for storing food. Napoleon Bonaparte made declaration of the Empire in month of May 28, 1804, was crowned Emperor at Notre-Dame on December 2, 1804. A program that mainly focused on restoration was conceived in the year 1845; architects’ Eugene Viollet-le-Duc and Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus conducted it. The restoration took 23 years, and it involved constructing of a spire. The architects provided four schematic plans that are observed in sequence project of medieval architecture. In the first plan that Eugene provided two parallel lines of smaller circles that run inside two continuous bands (Wilson 18). In the year 1871, a civil uprising that lead to the formation of the Paris Commune that was short-lived almost caused fire to the Notre Dame cathedral, and some recordings suggested that the amount of chairs that are within the church were set alight. In the year 1905, Church and state separation came into pass. All cathedrals, including Notre-Dame church remained as property of the state, but its use was granted to the Catholic Church of Roman. However, the mass referred to as ‘Te Deum’ was conducted in the Notre Dame Cathedral to celebrate the Paris liberation in 26th of August, 1944. Charles de Gaulle Requiem Mass took place in the cathedral on 12th of November, 1970. In the year 1991, a restoration program that was mega was conducted. Expectations were that it would last for about ten years, but it took longer to the 21st century. The restoring and cleaning of the old and dilapidated sculptures was a more delicate work. Now, the scaffolding is down, and the outcome is spectacular: the stone sculptures and architecture gleam in the used and original honey-toned rather than industrial black color(Wilson 20). Architectural Design of Notre Dame De Paris Cathedral The Notre-Dame Cathedral is among the first structures globally to apply the buttresses. The building before was never designed to incorporate the flying buttresses all over the nave and choir but immediately after the construction started, the walls that were thinner grew and stresses fractures began to appear as the walls started to be pushed outward. In response, the architects who were building the cathedral supported around the outside walls, and later on additions continued the pattern(William and Mark 50). However, many of the small statues crafted were positioned individually positioned around the outside in order to provide waterspouts and column supports. Among these included the popular gargoyles, designed for chimeras and water run-off. The statues were colored originally, as it was most of the exterior. The paint has worn off, but the stone that is gray stone covered one day with vivid colors. The Notre Dame cathedral was completed by the year 1345. Notre Dame Cathedral has climbing steps close to 387 that are narrow at the top of many spiral staircases. In addition, as you move along the climb it is possible to see its gargoyles and its most popular bell. It is at very close range, as well there is a possibility of viewing across the city of Paris when reach the top of the cathedral. Moreover, the designing of a church in the city of Adelaide, Australia was inspired by Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral(William and Mark). The most important change in designing the cathedral was conceived in the middle of 13th century. This was during the time in which there was remodeling of transepts in the latest Rayonnant style(Marcel). However, lately around 1240s Jean de Chelles had to add a portal that is gabled to the transept on the northern part topped off by a rose window that is spectacular. Afterwards, shortly Pierre de Montreuil had to execute same scheme on the transept that is on the south. Both of the transept portals were highly embellished with sculpture. The south portal featured scenes from the diverse saints based locally and lives of St Stephen while the portal on the north had to feature the infancy of Jesus Christ and the Theophilus story in the tympanum. It had a child positioned in the central pillar and most influential Virgin statue (William and Mark 51). Construction Process of the Building In the year 1160, as the Paris Church had been turned to the Parisian church in Europe, Maurice, who was a bishop by then. He considered the previous Paris Cathedral, which had been established by 4th century, not deserving of its resilient function, and it was demolished immediately he conferred the Bishop title in Paris. As with most foundation myths, this account undertaken with a grain of salt is required. Excavation of the archeologists, around 20th century, provided suggestion that the Cathedral replaced was a massive construction. It would look like that the faults associated with the previous designs and structure had a lot of exaggeration by Bishop to assist in justifying the reconstructing in new designs. According to legend, Sully previously had a vision of a glorious newer Cathedral for community in Paris and went further to sketch it on the ground outside the previous church(Alain 58). To start the construction process, the bishop was obliged to demolish most houses and had a newly constructed road that was used to transport construction materials for the entire cathedral. Construction started in year 1163 during the reign of Louis VII, and there were diverse opinions on whom between Sully or  Alexander III had to lay down the foundation stone of the church. However, Pope Alexander III and Sully were both present during the ceremony of laying down the foundation stone. Moreover, Bishop Sully further went on to devote his wealth and most of his life to the construction of Notre Dame Cathedral’s church. Construction of the choir was undertaken during the year 1163 up to around the year 1177 and the newly High Altar however was constructed in the year 1182(Marcel 55). However, Bishop Sullys died in the year 1196; his successor, known as Eudes had to oversee the transepts completion. He pressed ahead with the nave, which was about to be completed when he died at around the year 1208. However, during this period the western facade already had laid out, although it remained incomplete up to around the middle of the year 1240. Additionally, during all the period of the construction, many architects did work on the construction site, and this is evidenced by the diverse designs at different heights of the towers and west front. Between the year 1210 and the year 1220, the fourth architect was in charge of the construction of the level with the great halls under it and the towers rose window. The towers construction started around the year 1245, and the cathedral was finally completed the year 1345(Marcel 62). In the year 1965, the debate on whether there was a need for replacing the nave’s 19th-century windows that were grisaille with coloured windows. This intense debate had taken nearly 30 years before it was brought to end. However, at the end master glass company Le Chevallier was chosen to manufacture these windows, it included the non-figurative grisailles, and it had splashes of colour. Coincidentally, the idea that was developed matched the bright atmosphere that would either have been used earlier in the 13th century. Between the year 1990 and year 1992, organ, which in the 20thcentury became the Global most famous, undergone major restoration workings that was carried out by Organ builders, which is a group in France. Analysis of the Associational meaning of the Place From the time Notre Dame Cathedral was constructed, it has become one of the main symbols of the city of Paris and entire France. It has always been the centre of major political events and religions. This is the reason as to why Michelet, who is a historian, noted that Notre Dame Cathedral is a historical book on its own. Not all major taking place events within the cathedral can be listed in the first place. It is worth to mention that even before the cathedral was finished late in 13th century; people within the city of Paris conducted mass and watched the body of the Saint Louis King who had died in Tunisia(Alain 66). Since the year 2000, the latest year that involved major workings on cleaning and it took nearly ten years, courtesy to the techniques and talents of the restorers of the Historical Monuments, it has been possible to have the admiration of the splendour jewel of medieval architecture of the Cathedral. However, in order to meet the imperatives of the Second Vatican Council, the clergies had to refurbish the liturgical platform many times. The latest changes, made in the year 2004, under supervision of cardinal-archbishop Lustiger, involved the creation of the passage traversing the two transepts and had to changethe location to fully bring together the nave and choir in order to create a single unit when there are liturgical celebrations. Like never before, the Notre Dame cathedral is now more than ever a parcel of our culture (Alain 74). The Notre Dame Cathedral is not only serving as a museum, but it is serving, as it has from the beginning, as the Home of Men and House of God and its influences always remain current.It is in Notre Dame Cathedral where the first estates general of France Kingdom were conducted in the year 1302. In addition, Henry IV had to marry De Valois in the cathedral and was converted into Roman Catholic in the same place in the year 1594. This shows how meaningful the cathedral is to most people within Paris and the entire France. It also extend to Global community for instance, more recently, in the year 2005 thousands of catholic faithful’s gathered at Notre Dame Cathedral church to pray for the late Pope Paul II and as well as used towait for new head of Catholic church nomination, Pope Benedict (Alain 57). Conclusion In conclusion, Notre Dame De Paris Cathedral has had a long history since it was constructed several years ago. The cathedral is a parcel of Roman Catholic Church culture as well as the local community in Paris. Additionally, has it has been discussed in the paper the church was not designed by a single architect but rather several were involved and they came at different stages during the construction period. It is a sacred place for worshipping and praying. Apart from the religious events, political events are also taking place in the Cathedral. However, this proves how useful the church is to all people within the society. Works Cited Alain, Erlande. Notre Dame de Paris. Vol. 10. Paris: Nathan Editions, (1991): 50-89. Krautheimer, Richard. "The Carolingian Revival of Early Christianity Architecture." Art Bulletin 24(3) (1974): 1-38. Marcel, Aurbert . "The Construction of Notre Dame of Paris." Art Bulletin 69(9) (1984): 40-69. William, Clark and Robert Mark. "The first Flying Butresses: A New Reconstruction of the Nave of Notre- Dame of Paris." Art Bulletin 66.4 (1984): 47-64. Wilson, Christopher. "The Gothic Cathedral. The Architectrue of the Great Church. 116(21) (1990): 15-30. Read More