Notre Dame Cathedral: how old are you and why is it an icon of France – 15/04/2019

Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most emblematic buildings in the history of religious architecture, may disappear due to the terrible fire that has declared today .

Its construction began in the year 1163 and ended in 1345: it took 182 years to build it. Dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, is placed in the small Ile de la Cité, surrounded by the waters of the Seine. Headquarters of the archdiocese of Paris, it is one of the most popular monuments of the French capital and belongs to Catholic worship.

Gothic cathedrals emerge intimately linked to the idea of ​​splendor and monumentality, a consequence of the needs and aspirations of the society of the time. In response to the search for a "new French dignity" the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was born.

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Gothic style symbol

The construction started in 1163 and measures 69 meters. Doubts remain as to the identity of whoever "placed" the foundation stone, Bishop Sully or Pope Alexander III.

Throughout the process (construction, including modifications, lasted until the middle of the 14th century) and there were several architects who have participated in the project throughout almost 200 years of its construction, which is why the stylistic differences present in the building.

This architectural style originated in a feudal society and economy, with intense religious wars (the Crusades), an important growth of European cities, the emergence of the bourgeoisie as a new social clbad and a deep sense of religiosity in the population.

It's like that "the cathedral" has become a symbol of the power of the Churchso that all those that were built were tall buildings and majesty.

How Our Lady was built

Notre Dame de Paris is a magnificent example of medieval mentality and achievements in the field of architecture. The vault of the choir had a height of 33 mlarger than any other Gothic church built to date. At the beginning of the works in the main nave, it was decided to increase its height 2 m plus. This resulted in the inadequacy of the countertop system of the main vault, by means of the lids of the side aisles.

It was solved by external flying buttresses, characteristic of Gothic architecture, already used in the early 12th century. The building materials used were essentially stone and oak wood (on the bridge).

The keys of the Gothic

These Gothic constructions are distinguished by their pointed arches (called ogival), which served as an ornamental structure to house religious iconography.

The vaults (for example, those of crucería or cuatripartita) they were used to obtain a greater height and thus to communicate the size of God in contrast with the human being.

The flying buttresses they were used to support the weight of the structure. As decorative elements, various sculptures (gargoyles, for example), but also stained glbad windows and rosettes have been incorporated.

The essential architectural concepts of Gothic they are the brightness and the altitude, both ideas in the service of spirituality. Gothic architecture represented the triumph and predominance of faith.

France is the cradle of this architectural style, being the cathedral of Chartres and the Notre-Dame cathedral of Paris, the most important representatives.