ESSA Paris: Notre Dame Cathedral

 

Notre Dame is one of the monuments in Europe known throughout the world. Its impressive towers soar up into the Parisian sky and its dark stone bricks have reminded Parisians and visitors alike of the Medival roots of Europe for generations. Above each of the three front doors sit incredibly ornate, multi-layered tympanums depicting the Virgin Mary, Christ enthroned on Judgement Day, and Saint Anne, the apocryphal mother of Mary. The enormous rose window was resplendent even in its mid-restoration condition. Flying buttresses classic to the Gothic style reinforce the heavy but relatively thin side walls and its pointed arches direct the viewer’s eyes heavenward.

Notre Dame is not just a church but a cathedral. This means it is the seat of a catholic Bishop with jurisdiction over a large geographic area (in this case Paris), but when in the year of our Lord two thousand and nineteen the Cathedral caught fire the whole world looked on in horror. This cathedral is an icon of Paris and a quintessential landmark anchoring cultural and perhaps even individual identity for millions of people. The quantity of funds and the amount of care that has gone into its restoration is proof of its cultural weight in the city of Paris.

This leads into the discussion of whether or not as well as how this work of art contributes to a city’s status as a cultural capital. Notre Dame definitely sets Paris apart as a cultural capital and I would say it's because of its close association with the religious and political history of Paris. Originally built between one thousand one hundred and sixty-three and one thousand three hundred and forty-five, making it one of the earliest Gothic church buildings in France, the Notre Dame Cathedral bears witness to many pivotal moments in European history and thus makes Paris the cultural center that it is today.