Notre Dame de Paris/ Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

Notre-Dame de Paris (French for "Our Lady of Paris"), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral is an historic Roman Rite Catholic Marian cathedral in Paris, France. The Cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world.

The construction of the Cathedral was started in 1163 under the presence of Pope Alexander III.
Notre Dame stands nearly 110 feet in height, 69 m (226 ft) in width, 128 m (420 feet) in length, and its dimensions were larger than any Gothic church built prior to it. Architect Maurice de Sully, Bishop of Paris began construction in 1163, and Notre Dame was almost complete at his death. Bishop Eudes-de-Sully and the next four successors completed the facade. Changes in architects are evident, because Notre Dame has slight stylistic variations and is not perfectly symmetrical.

Notre-Dame de Paris in the 17th century.

Notre Dame de Paris (1840) , before the reconstruction.

Notre Dame East Facade

Plan of Notre Dame de Paris

Instead

of a cross shape, the plan of Notre Dame actually reveals that it forms a horseshoe, a response to the restricted space where Notre Dame could be constructed. Notre Dame contains numerous irregularities, formed by the progression of different architects as well as responses to problems during construction. The building design is a single massing of an irregular shape.

 From the exterior, the plan appears to be a cross shape, which is a horizontal feature. The vertical features are the spire at the crossing and the twin bell towers on the western facade. From the exterior, the plan appears to be a cross shape, which is only a horizontal feature.
Twin bell towers

Thus, the primary line of symmetry runs from the western facade through the nave.

The procession is through the two aisles and the nave,

where its interior height dwarfs human scale.

To fill the immense interior space with natural light, Notre Dame of Paris was designed with large clerestory windows and rose windows.

Flying Buttresses
Notre-Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports). Flying buttresses support the thin exterior walls. The flying buttresses were not part of the original design, but were a response to the increased outward thrust on the exterior walls by the shear height and weight of the cathedral. The flying buttresses were constructed a whole century later after the central Cathedral of Notre Dame. Ribbed vaults in the double aisles surround the choir. At the time, the ribbed vaults were a new advancement in architecture.

Ribbed Vault

Flying Buttress

Thin walls supported by The buttresses.

Bells
The Towers at Notre-Dame contain five church bells. There are four additional bells on wheels in the North Tower, which are swing chimed. These bells were meant to replace nine which were removed from the Cathedral during the Revolution and are rung for various services and festivals. The bells were once rung manually but are currently rung by electric motors. When it was discovered that the size of the bells could cause the entire building to vibrate, threatening its structural integrity, they were taken out of use.

Present day Bells of Notre Dame de Paris

The Spire
The first spire was built at the transept crossing around 1250. It was a bell tower, which, in the 17th century, housed up to five bells. It was taken down from First Spire 1786 to 1792.

So in 1860, a twostory spire was built , a clear departure from the 13th century spire. In addition, it is not a bell tower.

Present Day Spire of Notre Dame de Paris

The spire dominates the verdigris copper statues of the twelve apostles

The Rooster at the top of the Spire

Stained Glass Windows

The stained glass windows of the Notre-Dame are very beautiful and many date from the 13th century when the cathedral was constructed. The stained glass often shows the heavy influence of naturalism, giving them a more secular look that was lacking from earlier Romanesque architecture. Notre-Dame's stained glass windows are an important and beautiful work of 13th-century Gothic art. The highlight, and the greatest survival of original glass, is the set of beautiful rose windows.

ROSE WINDOWS
The three rosettes Notre-Dame de Paris are one of the greatest masterpieces of Christianity. The South Rose Window was a gift from the king Saint Louis. It was designed by Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil. The South Rose Window, a central element that thrones over the transept faade, was constructed in 1260 as a counterpoint to the North Rose Window, which was built in 1250. The south rose window has been damaged many times over the centuries. Under the rosette, the heavenly court is represented by the sixteen prophets portrayed under the large windows of the bay.

Rose Window Exterior Facade

Sculptures

Statues Line The Western Facade Above the Portals

The Statue of Virgin and Child inside Notre-Dame de Paris.

Notre-Dame's facade showing the Portal of the Virgin, Portal of the Last Judgment, and Portal of St-Anne.

Notre Dames Gargoyle statues

The Gargoyles of Notre Dame weren't built only for decorations, but for practical reasons also. The Gargoyle statues were built into the ends of the gutters to drain rainwater off the roof; since the gargoyles extend far off the side of the roof, the liters of rainwater from storms fall far from the walls to prevent damage. Most of them are on the facade, seated on a gallery, watching the people below and scanning all of Paris.

 The shear height of the Cathedral symbolically reached towards the heavens. Notre Dame was intended to tower above the low roofs of medieval Paris with the cross shape clearly visible. Notre Dame was oriented like a compass, with each cardinal direction symbolizing an aspect of medieval Christian faith. The rising sun symbolized life, while the setting sun symbolized death. Thus the western facade displayed routes to heaven and hell. The Notre Dame of Paris, with its grandeur, overtook world architecture of its era.