Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Self-Guided Tour:
The
cathedral facade
is worth a close look. The church is ded-
icated to “Our Lady”
(Notre Dame
). Mary is center stage—cradling God, right in the heart
of the facade, surrounded by the halo of the rose window. Adam is on the left and Eve is on
the right.
Below Mary and above the arches is a row of 28 statues known as the Kings of Judah.
DuringtheFrenchRevolution,thesebiblicalkingsweremistakenforthehatedFrenchkings,
and Notre-Dame represented the oppressive Catholic hierarchy. The citizens stormed the
church,crying,“Offwiththeirheads!”Allweredecapitated,buthavesincebeenrecapitated.
Speaking of decapitation, look at the carving to the left of the doorway on the left. The
man with his head in his hands is St. Denis. Back when there was a Roman temple on this
spot, Christianity began making converts. The fourth-century bishop of Roman Paris, Denis
was beheaded as a warning to those forsaking the Roman gods. But those early Christians
were hard to keep down. The man who would become St. Denis got up, tucked his head un-
der his arm, headed north, paused at a fountain to wash it off, and continued until he found
justtherightplacetomeethismaker:Montmartre.(Althoughthename“Montmartre”comes
from the Roman “Mount of Mars,” later generations—thinking of their beheaded patron, St.
Denis—preferred a less pagan version, “Mount of Martyrs.”) The Parisians were convinced
by this miracle, Christianity gained ground, and a church soon replaced the pagan temple.
Medieval art was OK if it embellished the house of God and told biblical stories. For a
fine example, move to the base of the central column (at the foot of Mary, about where the
head of St. Denis could spit if he were really good). Working around from the left, find God
telling a barely created Eve, “Have fun, but no apples.” Next, the sexiest serpent I've ever
seen makes apples à la mode. Finally, Adam and Eve, now ashamed of their nakedness, are
expelled by an angel. This is a tiny example in a church covered with meaning.
Enter the church at the right doorway (the line moves quickly). You'll be routed around
the ambulatory, in much the same way medieval pilgrims were. Notre-Dame has the typical
basilica floor plan shared by so many Catholic churches: a long central nave lined with
columnsandflankedbysideaisles.It'sdesignedintheshapeofacross,withthealtarplaced
where the crossbeam intersects. The church can hold up to 10,000 faithful, and it's prob-
ablybuzzingwithvisitorsnow,justasitwas600yearsago.Thequiet,desertedchurcheswe
see elsewhere are in stark contrast to the busy, center-of-life places they were in the Middle
Ages.
Don'tmissthe
rosewindows
thatfilleachofthetransepts.Justpastthealtaristhe
choir,
enclosed with carved-wood walls, where more intimate services can be held in this spacious
building. Circle the choir—the back side of the choir walls features
scenes of the resurrec-
ted Jesus
(c. 1350). Just ahead on the right is the
Treasury.
It contains lavish robes, golden
reliquaries, and the humble tunic of King (and St.) Louis IX, but it probably isn't worth the
entry fee.
