Notre-Dame Cathedral

Image: Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

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Notre-Dame de Paris, also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité (City Island). Notre-Dame is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe. The name Notre-Dame means "Our Lady" in French, and is frequently used in the names of Catholic church buildings in French speaking countries.

During my nine day stay in Paris, I went to Notre-Dame Cathedral on four occasions, not because I’m Catholic, and not because I am religious in the usual sense of the word, but because I am fascinated by the design and construction of large structures that in many ways excite my imagination and sense of wonder. And Notre-Dame Cathedral certainly does that, as did the Eiffel Tower.

Construction of Notre-Dame began in 1163, during the reign of Louis VII, under the guidance of Bishop Maurice de Sully, then Bishop of Paris. The cathedral was effectively complete by around 1345 – meaning construction continued for a period of almost 200 years.

Two hundred years! I can’t even imagine a construction project lasting that length of time, and can’t help wondering how many stonemasons, carpenters, architects, designers and other people might have spent their whole working lives engaged in the construction of Notre-Dame.

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Image: Choir members take a bow following a Cathedral recital

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The position of "head" or "chief" organist at Notre-Dame is considered one of the most prestigious organist posts in France. I don’t know if the current chief organist was at the pedal board during one of my visits to the cathedral but the organs 7,800 pipes (900 of which are classified as historical), were pumping out a sound guaranteed to bring down the walls of any modern Jericho if need be.

Organ recitals are held on a regular basis at Notre-Dame, and I imagine they are well attended. A detailed program of events can be found on the official website for the cathedral, so if you are planning a visit, check the site to see if you can fit in a concert performance of any type. The organ is also used during Mass, so if your visit coincides with one of the numerous services taking place at the cathedral, you may have an opportunity to hear the organ in full ‘voice’ then as well.

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Image: Exterior side view of Notre-Dame Cathedral

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The cathedral was not as I imagined it to be. From the outside it doesn’t look all that large or dare I say it, spectacular, but once inside it is clear just how high the roof rises above the floor. One can only marvel at the workmanship that went into building Notre-Dame Cathedral, and shake their head in awe at the challenges the builders and designers must have faced during the construction phase.

Notre-Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and it 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, but after construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern. [Source: Wikipedia… ]

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Image: Intricate stone columns helping to support Notre-Dame’s roof

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As you might imagine, many historic events have taken place under the roof of Notre-Dame Cathedral over the course of almost 800 years, including the crowning of Henry VI of England as King of France (1431); the marriage’s of James V of Scotland to Madeleine of France (1537): and the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to the Dauphin François in 1558 (later François II of France); and the coronation ceremony of Napoléon I and his wife Joséphine, on 2 December 1804.

The Coronation was the subject of the monumental painting by Jacques-Louis David (1807), now hanging in the Louvre Museum, Paris. A painting I saw (along with several other massive Jacques-Louis David paintings),during my visit to the Louvre.

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Image: The Coronation of Napoléon I, now hanging in the Louvre, Paris

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One more interesting historical moment of note occurred in 1239, when The Crown of Thorns that was said to have been worn by Jesus, was placed in the cathedral where it is obviously one of Notre-Dame’s most treasured historical artifacts.

Unfortunately, The Crown of Thorns is not on display in The Treasury, a section of the cathedral displaying numerous historical objects and artifacts from the cathedral’s long history. A fee of three euros applies for visitors wanting to enter the Treasury, and while the collection is not exactly awe inspiring, it does give visitors something else to see and do during their visit to the cathedral, apart from just wandering through the main building.

An additional fee of eight euros will get you into the bell tower, where good views of Paris may be had, although to be honest, I didn’t bother joining the long line waiting to climb the several hundred steps required to complete that journey.

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Image: Interior view of Notre-Dame Cathedral

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Catholic Church First – Tourist Attraction Second

Non-Catholics who visit the Cathedral should at all times remember that Notre-Dame de Paris is a working Catholic church first and foremost, and a tourist attraction second. Therefore, your visit is likely to coincide with one of the numerous daily services that take place Monday to Saturday, and especially during one of at least seven services taking place every Sunday.

Remember too, that even if no Mass is taking place, members of the Catholic church will almost certainly be attending confession during your visit, or trying to spend time in quiet reflection, prayer, meditation or some other aspect of the Catholic faith. It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway), that your visit should be as quiet and as unobtrusive as possible – which may seem like an all but impossible request given the hundreds of visitors passing through the Cathedral’s doors every hour.

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Image: Parishioner deep in contemplation at Notre-Dame Cathedral

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Because Notre-Dame de Paris is a working church, entry to the building is free, although as noted, there are fees for visiting the Treasury (three euros) and for climbing the bell tower (eight euros). However, I would encourage visitors to make a donation at one of the numerous collection points placed throughout the cathedral to help maintain this magnificent building. I’m sure your donation will be greatly appreciated.

I enjoyed each of my four visits to the cathedral, especially when they coincided with one of the daily services. It was during these visits that I had an opportunity to hear the massive organ, as well as to enjoy the singing of the choir and soloists during Mass. A truly sublime sound, whether or not you are of the Catholic faith, another religion, or even of no religious persuasion.

You can see more of my Notre-Dame Cathedral images here at my Flickr page…

More Information:

The Official Notre-Dame de Paris website in French…

The Official Notre-Dame de Paris website in English…

Wikipedia’s main Notre-Dame de Paris page…

Grecian Blues

Image: Patriotic Blues

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I’ve had a long, happy association with the colour blue. From my teen years when I actually looked halfway decent in a pair of blue denim jeans – to the blue t-shirts I still like to wear, the colour blue continues to feature prominently in my wardrobe.

One of the things I’ve been doing on Ikaria and to a lesser extent on the mainland is taking photographs of interesting settings which feature the colour blue. Greece has pretty much laid claim to a particular hue of the colour blue you see on the national flag. The colour is literally everywhere. On buses, door and window frames, and prominent in Greek architecture. For some reason or other, I seem to have noticed the colour a lot more during this trip than on previous visits.

The name I have given to this collection of images – some of which you can see here – is Grecian Blues.

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Image: Recycled Blues

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The colour seems to be especially popular on prefabricated window shutters and door frames, but I have also seen it used to highlight features on churches, fences, packaging materials and more. I’ve not seen such a wide use of one particular colour anywhere else in the world, although I’ve got no doubts examples exist. The Greeks though seem to have adopted blue as the national colour, if such a thing seems possible.

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Image: Church Blues

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Etymology and definitions: The modern English word blue comes from Middle English bleu or blewe, which in turn comes from Old French bleu, bleve, blöe, which are themselves of Germanic origin. [Source: Wikipedia... ]

Speaking of etymology, it would seem that Australians are the only nation that refer to red-haired men by the nickname, ‘Bluey’ or ‘Blue’. I’m not sure if there is a definitive answer for why we do this, but I did find one possible explanation online:

The term stems from the Victorian Goldfields in the 1860s. A large number of Irish folk immigrated to try their luck. A fair number of these folk were red headed men who quickly gained a reputation for their fondness of liquor, and fighting. So much so that on the occasion of a red headed Irishman passing by, the comment was often passed, "there goes a blue", i.e. a potential fight. This of course was stretched to "bluey" and also explains why women with red hair are not called ‘Blue’. [Source: Answer Bag… ]

Which only raises another question – why are fights or arguments referred to as ‘blues’? But let’s leave that one for another day, before I become completely sidetracked.

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Image: Graffiti Blues

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Some common connotations and associations for the color blue: ice, water, sky, sadness, winter, royalty, boys, cold, calm, magic, trueness, conservatism (universally), liberalism (in the USA), and capitalism.

Okay, getting all fetishistic about the colour blue might seem like a strange thing to be doing, given all the other options I have available to me, but I have become quite taken with the colour and its many uses and applications in Greece and on the island. Originally, I was only going to use one shade or hue of blue, but were just too many options and alternatives to that, so I have taken photographs of a wide range of objects and scenery. Even garden water pipes!

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Image: Gardeners Blues

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In the English language, blue may refer to the feeling of sadness [as in], "He was feeling blue". This is because blue was related to rain, or storms, and in Greek mythology, the god Zeus would make rain when he was sad (crying), and a storm when he was angry. Kyanos was a name used in Ancient Greek to refer to dark blue tile (in English it means blue-green or cyan). The phrase "feeling blue" is linked also to a custom among many old deepwater sailing ships. If the ship lost the captain or any of the officers during its voyage, she would fly blue flags and have a blue band painted along her entire hull when returning to home port. [Source: Wikepedia… ]

Ancient Greek apparently lacked a word for blue and Homer called the colour of the sea "wine dark", except that – as noted above – the word kyanos (cyan) was used for dark blue enamel. Blue is commonly used in the Western hemisphere to symbolize the male gender in contrast to pink which is used for females. And I’m sure most, if not all readers will be aware of the musical genre commonly referred to as the blues.

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Image: Parking Blues

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Back in 2009, Britain's Daily Telegraph in an article titled, Blue light 'makes you happy', reported on a study which showed that: "Despite the colour's gloomy connotations, exposure to blue light can increase confidence and boost happiness levels..."

The article goes on to say, "Researchers exposed a group of volunteers to a range of colours and lights. They found that blue and green made male subjects feel happier, while blue, purple and orange did the same for women." Also, "Blue and red improved confidence levels among men, while blue and purple were best in this respect for women…"

Interestingly, once I started on the project, I was amazed at just how widely used the colour was. Even garbage bags come in the colour.

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Image: Yamaha Blues

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Alternative therapies have their own take on the colour blue. In metaphysics blue is the color of truth, serenity and harmony, and helps to soothe the mind. According to the Crystal Links website: "It is good for cooling, calming, reconstructing and protecting." It is also good for "...raising frequency," whatever that means.

Holistically, "Blue is associated with the throat chakra, which deals with willpower and communication." The Holistic Online site also adds that "Blue is a calming color, good for curing insomnia. It can be used for throat problems, asthma, stress, and migraine, and it is good for improving verbal skills."

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Image: Bedroom Blues

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Shades of blue

Among the 52 types of blue listed on Wikipedia’s List of Colors page are Azure, Baby blue, Bleu de France, Bondi blue, Brandeis blue, Carolina blue, Ceil, Cerulean, Cobalt blue, Deep sky blue, Egyptian blue, Electric blue, Glaucous Han blue, Iceberg, Indigo, Majorelle Blue, Maya blue, Midnight blue, Palatinate blue, Periwinkle, Prussian blue, Sapphire, Sky blue, Steel blue, Teal and Ultramarine.

Oh, and then of course there is just plain, Blue.

Read more about the color blue here… (go on, you know you want to).

Yes, friends, it may be labouring the point, but there are a lot more images like these in my portfolio. If you are interested in checking them out head on over to my Flickr page and take a look. Or click here to launch a slideshow of all the images in my Flickr gallery.

Top of The Tower Views

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The Champ de Mars stretches out into the distance from the feet of the Eiffel Tower. The Champ de Mars is a large public green space, located in between the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the École Militaire (Military School) to the southeast. The park is named after the Campus Martius ("Mars Field") in Rome, a tribute to the Roman god of war. The name also alludes to the fact that the lawns here were formerly used as drilling and marching grounds by the French military. [Source: Wikipedia... ]

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Two views of The Trocadéro, and the Palais de Chaillot, an area across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. The hill of the Trocadéro is the hill of Chaillot, a former village. For the Exposition Internationale of 1937, the old Palais du Trocadéro was demolished and replaced by the Palais de Chaillot which now tops the hill. Like the old palais, the palais de Chaillot features two wings shaped to form a wide arc, however, unlike the old palais, the wings are independent buildings and there is no central element to connect them: instead, a wide esplanade leaves an open view from the place du Trocadéro to the Eiffel Tower and beyond. [Source: Wikipedia... ]

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Left Bank view. The large building in the middle of the image is Les Invalides at Avenue du Maréchal Gallieni. Officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides (The National Residence of the Invalids), Les Invalides is a complex of buildings containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose. Les Invalides also serves as the burial site for some of France's war heroes, notably Napoleon Bonaparte. [Source: Wikipedia... ]

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Eglise du Sacré Coeur (Church of The Sacred Heart), Avenue Paul Vaillant-Couturier, 94250, Gentilly. Standing at a height of over 60 meters, the Church of The Sacred Heart, was built in 1936. Originally, the church was to be part of the City International University which is directly opposite, but it has now been cut off from the University by the A6a highway. Today, the church is mostly frequented by the large Portuguese community who live in the area and who have made Paris their home. [Source: The Evene France website… ]

Not a bad photo considering I took the shot from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and the church is between five and six kilometers from the Tower as the crow flies. If you go back and look at the previous image, the church is the pale triangular smudge at the top right of the skyline!

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Another view of the Les Invalides complex.

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A couple of general views of Paris in the near vicinity of the Eiffel Tower. Note the dark triangular shadow of the Tower (pointing due East) in the lower left of the photograph immediately above. The late afternoon sun causes the shadow to reach out hundreds of yards across the River Seine.

After more than 30 years of waiting (see previous entry The Eiffel Tower – A Promise Kept). I am delighted to have finally visited this iconic structure and happy too, to have had the chance to see Paris from the unique perspective provided by the Tower. If you ever have the opportunity to make the trip to the top, I can highly recommend the experience – and the views.

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Finally, for the technically minded, all photographs were taken with my Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, and enhanced using Photoshop Elements 4.0.

Click here to see these Parisian photographs and other travel images on my Flickr page…