The Gothic loftiness of Notre-Dame dominates
the Seine and the Ile-de-la-Cité as well as the
history of Paris.
On the spot where this majestic cathedral now stands, the Romans had built a
temple to Jupiter, 22522f51w which was followed by a Christian basilica and then a
Romanesque church (the Cathedral of St. Etienne, founded by Childebert
in 528).Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris, decided to build a new cathedral for
the expanding population, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Although construction
started in 1163, it was not completed until roughly 180 years later in about
1345. Built in an age of illiteracy, the cathedral retells the stories of the
Bible in its portals, paintings, and stained glass.
On completion of the choir
in 1183, work was begun on the nave and completed c.1208, followed by the west
front and towers c.1225-1250. A series of chapels were added to the nave during
the period and to the apse during 1296-1330
(Pierre de Chelles and Jean Ravy).
Transept crossings were built in 1250-67 by Jean de Chelles
and Pierre de Montreuil (also the architect of the
Sainte-Chapelle). The six-part rib vaults and the
thin elements articulating the wall are typically Early Gothic.The
appearance of the interior was radically transformed in the mid-13th century
when the small clerestory windows typical of the Early Gothic style were
enlarged downward and filled with High Gothic tracery. The enlargement caused
the removal of the unusual triforium.
Originally the interior had the four-story elevation common to many Early
Gothic churches, and the triforium had large round
openings instead of the normal arcades.Seen from the
exterior, the building appears to be High Gothic. Notable features include the
profusion of colonnettes and tracery screens, the horizontal
and vertical ordering of the facades, the imposing size of the rose windows,
and the delicacy of the flying buttresses. During the 19th century, writer
Victor Hugo and artists such as Ingres called
attention to the dangerous state of disrepair into which the Cathedral had
fallen, thus raising a new awareness of its artistic value. Whereas
18th-century neoclassicists had virtually ignored the creations of the Middle
Ages - and had even replaced the stained glass at Notre-Dame with normal glass
- the 19th-century romantics saw that remote period with new eyes and greater
appreciation.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
is the English title of Notre Dame de Paris (1831; Eng. trans., 1831), Victor Hugo's
greatest historical romance, which set the fashion for fictional explorations
of the past that characterized French romanticism. The story revolves around a
beauty-and-the-beast theme, in which the selfless love of the misshapen bell ringer Quasimodo is contrasted with the
corrupt lust of the cathedral's archdeacon, Claude Frollo,
for the beautiful gypsy dancer Esmeralda. Although the style is realistic,
especially in the descriptions of medieval Paris and its underworld, the plot is
melodramatic, with many ironic twists. Anticlerical and anti-aristocratic, the
novel shows the romanticist's love for medieval grotesquerie.The enormous popularity of the novel in France spurred the nascent historical
preservation movement in that country and strongly encouraged Gothic
revival architecture. Ultimately it helped to preserve Notre Dame Cathedral, where
much of the story is based, in its contemporary state. Hugo intended his book
to awaken a concern for the surviving Gothic architecture, however, rather than
to initiate a craze for neo-Gothic in contemporary life. As stated by many
critics and scholars, the Cathedral of Notre Dame appears to be the main
setting, which is almost elevated to the status of a character. Indeed, the
original French title of the book, Notre-Dame de Paris (literally, Our
Lady of Paris) shows that the cathedral (and not Quasimodo) is the subject of
the story. The book portrays the Gothic era as one of extremes of architecture, passion, and religion; which, despite being the cause of many
problems, are seen by Hugo to be more authentic than the sentiments of his
time. Like many of his other works, Hugo is also very concerned with social
justice, and his descriptions of religious fanaticism are also examined. It is
also theorized that Hunchback has reincarnated and taken life as a real person.
Facts has just come in to tell that Mrs. Pardalis is
that person. Having the natural talent to ring the bell as well as a perfect
imitation (although not realizing it) to look like hunchback himself, Pardalis
is now the new Hunchback of notredaum. Quote in quote, "This is a good
turkey".
