Art History Notes: Leaving Cert. - Notre Dame Cathedral

Monday 6th Nov.

Please transfer the following notes from the Gothic Period into your hardback notes copies: the heading is Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

Gothic cathedral:

Notre Dame, in Paris, France.

The cathedral was completed in 1250 when Paris was developing as the main centre of political power and commerce.  No expense was spared in creating a cathedral with impressive architectural features that would surpass those of all the towns nearby, and the construction was supported and encouraged by King Louis VII himself.

The aim of the Paris builders was to push the limits of the new style beyond anything yet attempted.  The breadth of the vaults as well as the height at Notre Dame was greater than anything seen thus far. 

Another important innovation was the combination of triangular ribs with subtle transverse arches.  The result of this technique was an impressively wide interior, which can be seen from the doorway through to the altar without interruption from supporting pillars and is as impressive today as it was then.

The towers were finished around 1245 and the cathedral was finally completed around 1345

During the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV at the end of the 17^th century, the cathedral underwent major alterations, during which many tombs and stained glass windows were destroyed.  It also suffered during the French revolution of 1793, when many of its sculptures and treasures were destroyed or stolen.

Napoleon Bonaparte, who had declared the Empire on May 28, 1804, was crowned Emperor at Notre-Dame on December 2, 1804.

The west front of the cathedral is one of its most notable features, with its two 69-meter (228-feet) tall towers. The South Tower houses the cathedral's famous bell, "Emmanuel." The bell weighs 13 metric tons (over 28,000 pounds), its clapper alone weighs 500 kilograms. The bell is Notre-Dame's oldest, having been recast in 1631.

The King's Gallery is a line of statues of the 28 Kings of Judah and Israel, which was redesigned by Viollet-le-Duc to replace the statues destroyed during the French Revolution. The revolutionaries mistakenly believed the statues to be French kings instead of biblical kings, so they decapitated them.

We will continue from this point on Monday... everyone please catch up on notes you missed.