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July 26, 2006
Paris Chronicles, Episode Trois
On our third day in Paris we visited the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. As soon as we walked inside, we were overcome with Gothic majesty. The variety and profusion of stained glass, the chancel screen from the 14th century curving around the apse depicting scenes from the life of Christ in amazingly detailed stone and wood, the alternating black and white floor, the candles, chandeliers and candelabras, the rose windows, the paintings, the statues, the height of the vault taking the eye ever higher, etc… So much to be overwhelmed by! There was an organist playing murky mysterious music which perfectly set the mood.
We walked outside and got in line for the tour of the towers. While we were waiting, we gazed at the three portals, the two towers, the dozens of gargoyles, the 29 Judean kings, the west rose window, the massive wooden doors with amazingly intricate iron scrollwork, the filigreed stone ornaments and the parvis full of people with awed expressions on their faces.
After a long wait – only 20 people are let in at a time – we were getting a little antsy, even though the weather (except for un petit peu rain), scenery, and street musicians were excellent. The way up was broken up by a stop at a gift shop. In the shop were the stairs leading to Esmerelda’s chamber, so clearly described by Hugo that it could easily be identified. It made us want to read the book again. All along the way were beautiful quotes from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame that whetted our appetites.
Then again it was up and up and up dimly-lit spiral stairwells. Soon we saw a glimpse of daylight. The chimeras and gargoyles greeted us as we stepped along the narrow passageways outside and the view was breathtaking. We enjoyed using the gargoyles as vantage points when taking pictures.
We lined up the mouth of a gargoyle next to the Eiffel Tower so it looked like it was eating the Tower.
Up, up again we went to the very top of the south tower. As we circled around, we found this little square terrace with a table and chairs on a building next to Notre-Dame. What a view it must offer! Tim wouldn’t mind having a cup of coffee there every morning!
We then went down, down and down, round, round and round the spiral stairwell until we reached street level. We walked around the outside again hearing a man playing an ocarina and a choral group singing polyphonic Renaissance music. We did Notre-Dame, and it did us – did us in!
We went over to Sainte-Chapelle thinking “how can the stained glass windows we saw in Notre-Dame be topped by Sainte-Chapelle?” Well, they were—Sainte-Chapelle has more windows than walls! And not only that, the chapel was constructed in only 33 months (finished in the year 1248!), as opposed to Notre-Dame which took over 200 years! We walked up the steps and entered the chapel and were flooded with rays of filtered light.
We found that the mood and atmosphere of the inside changed with the shifting sunlight. We could tell if a cloud passed in front of the sun because the ambiance would change. It was as if the chapel was perfectly and intuitively interpreting and channeling the light of the sun – there was a symbiotic connection. The rose window looked almost proto-Art Nouveau in style with its wavy lines and swirling patterns. It looked like it was in motion, rotating.
The windows around the chapel (the “walls” of the chapel!) depicted scenes from the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Joanna spent her time trying to figure out what Biblical stories and persons were depicted in some of the windows. She deciphered many of them but it was difficult because they were so complex. She wondered how uneducated peasants in Medieval times 750 years ago could understand the cryptic language of the windows. Tim was too busy being mesmerized by light and color to think of what the windows meant. For once, he got lost in the aesthetic experience of something without trying to understand and analyze it!
Periodically the sound of the people talking within would cause a tour guide to go “ssshhhhhhhh!!!” and suddenly the noise would die down into quiet whispering for a few minutes until the talking started to get louder again. We stepped out onto the main portal and admired the carved stone around the doorway. Even the floor of the chapel was beautiful with an alternating fleur de lis design.
There also were amazing statues of famous saints inside which perfectly complemented the windows. They had stern expressions on their faces as if they were guarding the stained glass windows. The place was truly enchanting, mystical and ethereal – causing a lasting sense of wonder and awe. What men were these that created this masterpiece?
Paris Chronicles | By Tim and Jo | 10:02 PM
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Comments
I was in paris 4 years ago and I took a picture of that exact little table with bright blue chairs on the tiny terrace. I flipped when I saw your picture! I'm glad its still there, its such a sweet, cheery little spot!
Posted by: Heather at July 26, 2006 10:52 PM
Ooooo....I've never been to Paris. Your pictures certainly are amazing! Thanks so much!!!
Posted by: funke at July 27, 2006 11:23 AM