References:

[1] Steve Fallon, Daniel Robinson, Tony Wheeler, Paris. Australia: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd, 2001.
[2] Kate Baillie and Tim Salmon, Paris The Rough Guide. England: The Rough Guides, 1999.

Amazon eBay: II. NOTRE-DAME, CATHEDRAL OF AMIENS (1220-1269) Historical and background information 1. The Gothic cathedral of Amiens was constructed between 1220-1269, following the destruction of the old cathedral in 1218; nave chapels, west towers and central steeple are later. Bishop Evrard de Fouilloy initiated the work. The master masons were Robert de Luzarches, Thomas de Cormont and his son Renaud de Cormont. Built of chalk; measures 470’ in length and 213’ in overall width; crown of interior vaulting rises to a height of 137’ (144 royal feet). 2. Position of the cathedral in the town. Amiens, acquired by the French monarchy in the 1180s, was governed by a commune. Notre-Dame was the seat (cathedra) of the bishop and was served by a chapter of forty canons. 3. The Gothic cathedral as civic and religious monument. 4. Plan: cruciform; orientation. Parts of plan: nave, aisles, transept, crossing, choir, apse, ambulatory, radiating chapels. The plan involves a combination of arithmetic and geometric proportions. The nave bays are modular (squares and double-squares); the overall dimensions are derived from the great square placed in the center of the edifice. 5. Symbolic role of numbers in measurements a. Height of interior vault of 144 royal feet: 144 cubits is measurement of heavenly city of Jerusalem (see Book of Revelation) b. Central crossing square measures 50 feet: 50 cubits is measurement of width of Noah’s ark (nave from the Latin navus, meaning boat: the cathedral as a vehicle for salvation). 6. Construction: arch and vault; pointed arch and ribbed quadripartite vaults, piers with colonnettes (piliers cantonnés), uprights and flying buttresses. 7. Interior elevation: nave arcade, triforium, clerestory. Compare elevations of nave to choir. 8. Stained glass: lancets, oculi, rose window; space and light; directionality. (The stained glass at Amiens was lost to storms and other destruction before the French Revolution; for a cathedral with its original windows, see the comparative material on Chartres.) 9. Sculptural program: Design and style; location and relation to architecture. a. West façade: Last Judgment in tympanum of central portal. Trumeau figures: St. Firmin (patron saint of Amiens) on north portal, Beau Dieu (Christ) on central portal, Virgin Mary on south portal. Quatrefoils: Labors of the Months, Signs of the Zodiac, Virtues and Vices. b. South transept portal: Vierge Dorée—Gothic style of the 1250s. Notre Dame Cathedral In Paris France Paris has many different monuments you can visit, but one that should be high on your list is the Notre Dame Cathedral that is over 800 years old, and is found in the middle of the River Seine. {mosbotwordcount} There is so much history in Paris often you do not know where to start, and with numerous different monuments to visit, you cannot forget visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral that is over 800 years old! Situated on a small island called the Ile de la Cite in the middle of River Seine, its official name is The Notre Dame de Paris, but is often known simply as Notre Dame and is a Gothic cathedral that took nearly 200 years to be complete. It was first started in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII, but did not get finished until around 1345. {bot_wrgoogle}Even though Notre Dame had held many important events, such as Henry VI of England being crowned King of France in 1431, over the years it fell into disrepair. But it was Napoleon that saved the church from demolition back in 1802 and then he got crowned Emperor here in 1804, however it was still in a very bad state of disrepair. We are sure you have heard of the novel by Victor Hugo called the Hunchback of Notre Dame and this particular story was what brought people together to raise money for its restoration, which managed to bring it virtually back to its former glory. And in fact, following the start of World War II, it was feared that German bombers could destroy the stained glass windows so they were removed and restored at the end of the war and one particular round stained glass window, called the Rose Window, was the biggest window in the world when it was produced back in the 13th century, and it still contains its original medieval glass. Notre Dame translates as Our Lady and this monument in Paris is still used as a Roman Catholic cathedral for Sunday mass, is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris and is utilized for major events when the famous bell is rung. But instead of manpower the bell is now rung automatically and by taking a climb up the spiral staircase, you can get to see this enormous bell that was saved from being melted down. Also when climbing to the bell tower and further you can see the flying buttress style used in the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral along with the gargoyles on the outside of the building, designed to ward of evil spirits plus going further you get an excellent view of the city but it is around 140 more steps. Now it is obvious that every cathedral has an organ, but Notre Dame has actually had several, although the first ones were far too inadequate and the first sensible organ was installed in the early 1700's with some of the original pipe work remaining today. But one of the old cathedral organs can be viewed at the Musee de Notre Dame de Paris, along with the music scores, notes and some personal articles that are on display from Louis Vierne, the famous cathedral organist and the museum is only one street away from the cathedral. Although small it is fascinating and holds extremely old, interesting documents such as drawings, plans and engravings, which reveal the mysteries and various development stages of the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral plus it recounts life in the City from Lutecia before it was known as Paris. Also, in the square to the front of Notre Dame there is a plaque put in place by André Michelin, founder of the Michelin tyre business and it is from this point that all distances in France are measured. Open every day of the year, The Notre Dame de Paris is free to enter although there is a charge to venture up the tower, which is accessed on the outside of the church on the left hand side when looking at the main entrance of the cathedral.