Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
Why is the Notre Dame Cathedral, commenced by Maurice du Sully in 1163 and completed in the Early Gothic style in 12503, one of the most recognized cathedrals of its time period in the world? Made mostly of cut stone this remarkable building among its many features that set it apart; including being a tall church for its time, the later added rose windows in the north transept, and most importantly the flying buttresses, which were added quite early in the era. The Notre Dame Cathedral was one of the first cathedrals to include flying buttresses and this sets it apart from most other cathedrals in the world.
Notre Dame Cathedral was built in the beginning of the Gothic architectural movement, which coincided with the rise in veneration of the Virgin Mary. Thus the name for the Cathedral is “Notre Dame”; French for “Our Lady” a common religious term for the Virgin Mary2. The reason that she became one of the more widely popular religious figures was her sympathetic appeal as a mother who lost her son and religion had started to appeal to the people’s emotions rather than their spiritual values3. Another cultural change that came about as the Dark Ages began to end was that the Church commenced to showcase the power of God by creating grandiose structures to worship him in. Finally the developments of flying buttresses were a major development in architecture and one of the distinguishing qualities of the Gothic style. As with any changes in culture in history these changes were mirrored in the styles of architecture that were popular in the day.
A lot of these cultural changes were reflected in the buildings of the time and the Notre Dame Cathedral is no exception to that. One such change that echoed the changing cultural values was the increase in detail of the statues in the cathedrals to add more of a pathological appeal. Another such addition was that of stained glass windows. These beautiful windows were developed partially because
Why is the Notre Dame Cathedral, commenced by Maurice du Sully in 1163 and completed in the Early Gothic style in 12503, one of the most recognized cathedrals of its time period in the world? Made mostly of cut stone this remarkable building among its many features that set it apart; including being a tall church for its time, the later added rose windows in the north transept, and most importantly the flying buttresses, which were added quite early in the era. The Notre Dame Cathedral was one of the first cathedrals to include flying buttresses and this sets it apart from most other cathedrals in the world.
Notre Dame Cathedral was built in the beginning of the Gothic architectural movement, which coincided with the rise in veneration of the Virgin Mary. Thus the name for the Cathedral is “Notre Dame”; French for “Our Lady” a common religious term for the Virgin Mary2. The reason that she became one of the more widely popular religious figures was her sympathetic appeal as a mother who lost her son and religion had started to appeal to the people’s emotions rather than their spiritual values3. Another cultural change that came about as the Dark Ages began to end was that the Church commenced to showcase the power of God by creating grandiose structures to worship him in. Finally the developments of flying buttresses were a major development in architecture and one of the distinguishing qualities of the Gothic style. As with any changes in culture in history these changes were mirrored in the styles of architecture that were popular in the day.
A lot of these cultural changes were reflected in the buildings of the time and the Notre Dame Cathedral is no exception to that. One such change that echoed the changing cultural values was the increase in detail of the statues in the cathedrals to add more of a pathological appeal. Another such addition was that of stained glass windows. These beautiful windows were developed partially because