Notre Dame is a medieval Catholic cathedral with French gothic style. Notre Dame means, “our lady of Paris.” It measures 420 feet in length and 157 feet in width. Notre Dame also has 10 bells and they begin ringing at 7 every morning.
Two categories from the Seven Lamps of Architecture I noticed at Notre Dame were beauty and sacrifice. The grandness of Notre Dame shows the desire to demonstrate praise and love to God. The two main towers reach about 226 feet. When you stand near Notre Dame you are forced to look up to the heavens. The focus of its architecture is to draw attention to God.
Inside Notre Dame, there are many stained-glass windows. They are incredibly beautiful. At the top of Notre Dame, there are various stained-glass windows, one for each book of the bible. As I analyzed them carefully, I could see small bible characters and parts of nature. Stained-glass windows always draw one’s attention and show
the romantic and spiritual aspects of beauty.
Theological symbolism is very evident at Notre Dame. On the outside of the cathedral, there are three portals; Portal of the Last Judgment, Portal of the Virgin, and the Portal of St. Anne. Each of the portals has different saints surrounding them. Theological ideas like the resurrection of the dead are depicted at the top of the portals. The different statues symbolize different aspects of religion. For example, the archivolts featured at the very top of the portals (little angels) symbolize the Heavenly Court.
Notre Dame is full of beauty and wonder. It also features great depictions of religion and faith which will always keep it sacred.