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Throughout social history architecture has played a pivotal role in our understanding of civilization, politics, culture, traditions, and art of the period in which it was built. The Cathedral of Notre Dame is definitely one of the great installations of structural design that helps current and will help future generations discover more about the rich and fascinating history of medieval Europe. Notre Dame de Paris is perhaps the most well-known cathedral built by means of gothic style architecture. According to the Columbia University website <em>The People of Notre Dame</em>, 50,000 individuals visit the cathedral everyday. The roughly 2 million people a year come to this breathtaking historical landmark to bask in the beauty of its gothic inspired and designed stained glass windows, sculptures, stone vaults, and flying buttresses. The Cathedral of Notre Dame should be preserved because it is one of the earliest representations and an apex of gothic style architecture. Not only is the history of the building important but it is also a structure that is affluent in community and religious ceremony.

The historical context of the time is the foundation for the plan of the building of the cathedral. During the medieval era the Christian religion was at its highest point of dominance over political, religious and cultural authority. The twelfth century was also the beginning of The Crusades, which was a military conquest of western Christians against the Muslim control in Jerusalem. One of the European kings that headed the second Crusade, Louis VII of France, was a young devout Christian ruler who wanted to see Paris rise to the capital of the nation. France as a whole was expanding and increasing in population, one of the reasons was due to the thriving crops and changing agriculture. These economic and political developments were attributed to the power of faith and prayer. Because of this churches and cathedrals were being built all around France and Europe as a symbol of hope. In 1159 Maurice de Sully became Bishop of Paris; the very ambitious man wanted to tear down the depleted cathedral dedicated to St. Etienne and build a much more sophisticated and grand structure devoted to the Virgin Mary on the Île de la Cité. Thus the inspiration for Notre Dame de Paris was established.

Maurice de Sully was devoted to the construction and completion of the cathedral and according to Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Pope Alexander III laid down the first cornerstone in 1163. For almost the next 100 years the cathedral was being built. The basic design was similar to the Carolinian and Romanesque churches, in that it followed the Latin cross design. However, the addition of the two chapels underneath the flying buttresses in the early thirteenth century drastically changed the look and feel of the cathedral. The Notre Dame of Paris article in the Encyclopedia Britannica online illustrates that the “Notre-Dame Cathedral consists of a choir and apse, a short transept, and a nave flanked by double aisles and square chapels.” Most of this was completed between 1163 and 1125 according to the Notre-Dame de Paris official website. The innovative addition of the flying buttresses, which is a unique feature to the gothic style, was not part of the original plan but was added later for support when the nave was being reconstructed in 1230. Although the early architects for the cathedral of Notre Dame is unknown, According to the Notre Dame de Paris article in the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, “Among the master builders are the names Jehan de Chelles, Pierre de Montreuil, Pierre de Chelles, and Jehan Rave.” The article goes on to describe and explain more of the features and architecture by stating that “[T]he plan consists of a wide central nave rising 110 ft high and flanked by double aisles, with a transept of slight projection from the main body. The aisles continue around the east end, which, with the projecting chapels, forms a chevet. Three sculptured portals are deeply recessed in the majestic west front. Above them a row of sculptures in niches extends across the facade, and over this, in the center, is the huge traceried rose window.”

The Notre Dame de Paris is typical of the gothic and Romanesque style churches from the European medieval era because like others it also was designed to be built upward. True to its period, its massive structure was meant to prevail over all other architecture in the city surrounding it. According to our textbook <em>The Humanistic Tradition</em>, it was and, in respects, still is a beacon for the community, a place for religious ceremony, civic events, public festivals and education. In comparison to the first cathedral to be of gothic design, the Saint-Denis Cathedral, both churches are built with stone rib vaults and pointed arches that shift the bulk of the weight downward, which let the architects take construction to greater heights. The only support necessary for the upward reaching gothic style buildings of this era were the “slender vertical piers and thin lateral (“flying”) buttresses”, despite the fact, they were not used on Saint-Denis, the Notre Dame Cathedral was the first to use the technology (Fiero B2 125). The Notre Dame Cathedral set the standard and influenced competition for other churches to be built more elaborate and of greater height.

If Notre Dame de Paris is considered a fundamental and innovative edifice of the gothic style, Chartres cathedral is an example of a church that grew upon these influences.  The Chartres Cathedral is located in Chartres, France, 50 miles away from Paris. The nave of this church is 12 ft taller than the nave of Notre Dame de Paris, Reaching upward to 122ft. Both Cathedrals obey the “set of proportional principles aimed at achieving harmonious design.” According to Fiero, author of <em>The humanistic Tradition</em> the height of the clerestory and the height of the nave arcade in the west façade of Chartres “are exactly three times the height of the triforium, in contrast to the less grand but still impressive Notre Dame de Paris west façade where “the interior sections are mirrored in the three-story elevation of the façade: the height of the nave arcade corresponds to that of the west portals; the triforium arcade is echoed in the rows of saints standing above those portals; and the clerestory is marked by a majestic rose window” (Fiero B2 127).

A lot of the original integrity of Notre Dame of Paris has been reconstructed over the centuries. In the 19<sup>th</sup> century The French Revolution left the structure badly ruined. Architect <a title="Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc" href="http://www.britannica.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/EBchecked/topic/629711/Eugene-Emmanuel-Viollet-le-Duc">Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc</a> worked from 1845 to 1864 to restore the monument, according to Encyclopedia Britannica Academic Edition. Alternatively Charles Cathedral was not severely damaged during the French Revolution and has been well preserved over time with most of its basic architectural features and original stained glass windows. Both structures are accurate examples of the gothic style of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries displaying architectural exterior ornamental details such as stone crockets, finials, and gargoyles. They both also house beautiful artwork, religious statues and remarkable stain glass windows that keep visitor’s religious and non coming to their doors.

In the medieval period in which the non-classical Notre Dame Cathedral was built the edifice was perceived as a symbol of hope to the people and served the purpose of not only a place of worship but also a community center, and an establishment for education. According to Fiero “[S]eventeenth-century Neoclassicists coined the term “Gothic” to condemn a style they judged to be a “rude and barbarous” alternative to the Classical style.” Even though the architecture is actually very geometric and harmonious in design. Fiero goes on to states that “modern critics have recognized the <em>Gothic style</em> as a sophisticated and majestic expression of the age of faith” (B2 125).  In the Art bulletin Article <em>Notre-Dame of Paris and the anticipation of gothic</em>, author Stephen Murray explain superbly how the Notre Dame Cathedral has been received in the centuries following its completion. He writes that “[E]ach generation finds in the great monument an image of itself. The buoyant nineteenth century found in Notre-Dame an example of the potential power of human reason, combined with technology, to transform radically the old architecture […] Our own postmodern world, on the other hand, may find in the same monument a flawed and backward-looking structure whose builders, having from ailed to anticipate problems resulting from poor lighting, poor drainage, and structural deformation, were forced to retrofit the cathedral in belated response.” I think that the millions of visitors to the Cathedral each year is testament to how the work is received currently. The Notre Dame de Paris is an essential work of art, detailing the remarkable rise of the non-classical, dynamic gothic style. According to the Notre Dame Cathedral website “The cathedral is now more than ever a part of our culture. It is more than just a museum, and serves, as it has from the beginning, as the House of God and the Home of Men, its influence always remaining current.”

The most meaningful reason I consider this to be a significant part of history is the fact that it not only served as place that Christians could find refuge, it was built for the community. Bishop Maurice de Sully wanted a focus for the city of Paris, a place the public could celebrate together the pride of their city and devout their appreciation to the Virgin Mary. A place of education for the young, a place the masses could call their own. Another reason it is meaningful to me is because I find the exterior of the cathedral amazing. The dynamic ornamental touches, the towering spires, flying buttresses, and fascinating gargoyles to ward of evil, all are incredible examples of medieval gothic style. Inside is just as overwhelming with the beautiful stained glass windows, wall paintings, furniture, and religious relics. The South Rose window has been considered “one of the greatest masterpieces of Christianity” (ND website). However the Notre Dame de Paris is known for so much more, like its great organs, choirs and music. According to the Notre Dame Cathedral website weekly organ recitals are as much part of the services now as it was when it was first built.  Not to mention the church services provided to millions of Christians throughout its vast history. You can actually listen to live broadcast of the Cathedrals Vespers services Monday through Friday and Sunday mass on television or the radio.

I chose the Notre Dame de Paris because I believe it is important for future generations to learn about various styles of architecture from early eras of humanities. This astonishing cathedral has been a significant landmark not only to the society of medieval Europe but also an inspiration to architects, sculptors, religious leaders, Christians, historians, and the general public throughout the centuries. There is a great deal of history to learn about western civilization; from the first idea of this structure to the last renovation. The history of the kings that supported the construction, the bishops and popes who have worked and studied inside its walls, the Christian crusades and French revolution it survived, the great builders who contributed to its great mass and rise of the gothic style, are just some of the topics and records that future generations will be able to consider, discover, and learn because of the preservation of this monumental cathedral.

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<p style="text-align: center">Bibliography</p>
Fiero, Gloria K. "Chapter 13. The Medieval Synthesis in the Arts Ca. 1000–1300." <em>The Humanistic Tradition</em>. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 125-33. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. &lt;http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/connect/hmEBook.do?setTab=sectionTabs&gt;.

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Hayes, Holly. "Chartres Cathedral." <em>Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations - Explore Sacred Sites, Religious Sites, Sacred Places</em>. 30 July 2010. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.sacred-destinations.com/&gt;.

Murray, Stephen. "Notre-Dame of Paris and the Anticipation of Gothic." <em>Academic Search Complete</em>. Art Bulletin, June 1998. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://web.ebscohost.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ehost/detail?hid=119&amp;sid=f49284b8-ef46-47cb-a10e-6dc22ed9a898%40sessionmgr115&amp;vid=1&amp;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&amp;AN=787185&gt;.

"Notre-Dame De Paris." <em>Cathédrale Notre Dame De Paris</em>. Archpriest and Rector of the Cathedral Notre-Dame De Paris, 2011. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/-English-&gt;.

"Notre-Dame De Paris." <em>Columbia</em><em> Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.</em> Academic Search Complete, 1 July 2010. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. &lt;web.ebscohost.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ehost/detail?hid=119&amp;sid=9369a7d7-ad0e-4296-a498-da3b670cb081%40sessionmgr115&amp;vid=1&amp;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&amp;AN=39025034&gt;.

"Notre-Dame de Paris." <em>Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online</em>. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. &lt;<a href="http://www.britannica.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/EBchecked/topic/420752/Notre-Dame-de-Paris">http://www.britannica.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/EBchecked/topic/420752/Notre-Dame-de-Paris</a>&gt;.

"People/notredame." <em>Visual</em><em> Media Center | Columbia University in the City of New York</em>. Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 1998. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.learn.columbia.edu/notre-dame/Exterior pages/People_2.html&gt;.

"The Cathedral of Notre Dame." <em>France</em><em> Monthly</em> (Dec. 2005). 2010-2011. Web. 6 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.francemonthly.com/n/1205/index.php#Contents&gt;.

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