The Notre Dame de Paris
I will talk about the Notre Dame de Paris’ cathedral.
Although it’ll change a little the structure, I consider I should begin with a little explanation about the church. It’s name is after the Virgin Mary, and would mean “Our Lady of Paris” in English. This is the cathedral of the Catholic archdiocese of Paris (in other words, it is here where the chair, or “throne”, of the Archbishop of Paris is). As many of my classmates have already said (though it’s too important to not mention it), the Notre Dame de Paris is one of the greatest examples of the Gothic architecture.
On octobre 12th of 1160, Maurice de Sully became the archbishop of Paris. He rebuilt an old church dedicated to Virgin Mary, Notre Dame, and transformed it into a bishop’s church, a canon church, and a baptistery. The first stone was laid in 1163, in presence of Pope Alexander III. The construction was made from the year 1163, to the year 1250 after Christ.
Now, leaving behind the history context of the Notre Dame de Paris, I’ll talk about the many beautiful -and very characteristic of the gothic architecture- stained-glass windows.
There is in Notre Dame one of the greatest masterpieces of Christianity, the South Rose Window. It has 12.90 meters in diameter. It is divided in four circles, and it’s a counterpoint to the North Rose Window. Both are very similar, just that the South Rose Window has an extra rosette that the North one does not have. They represent the flowers of Heaven, but also they are a reminder that we are all unique, but the Children of God are even more beautiful when they come together. In every little circle –as you may see- is someone different from the New Testament.
South Rose Window
As for my personal opinion, I just love it. The stained-glass windows have always been something that attracts me from the churches. And these ones are particularly beautiful. And the size must make them incredibly impacting to see in real life. The whole Cathedral of Notre Dame is really amazing, and I would really love to see it in real life. I expect to go there somewhere in the near future.
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