We all know a tidbit of info on Notre Dame. I read a few articles out of my own curiosity and put a very short summary below. It's a lot more than I knew before in a couple paragraphs. I'm learning too...
Notre Dame de Paris (French for Our Lady of Paris), also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It's the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris, in other words, it's the church that contains the cathedra (official chair), of the Archbishop of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and Europe. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. It's sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, unlike that of earlier Romanesque architecture.
Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports). The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. After the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. The flying buttresses took on a new importance and now surround the cathedral.
The cathedral suffered extensive damage in the French Revolution in the 1790s - much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. During the 1800s, it was restored, returning the cathedral to its previous state.
I could add volumes, but this is a photo blog, so I'll stop here. We've all heard of that Google thing if we need more :)
- JohnBrody.com
