When our study abroad group was marveling at the Cathedral in Toledo, on of the other students told me, "Just wait until you see the Notre Dame." As a result, I was very excited to see what must be so special about that particular cathedral, pictured here. Immediately, from the exterior there were differences from the cathedrals that I had seen in Spain, which often had several levels of building and strong Muslim architecture influences. At the site, information made it clear that Notre Dame was one of the very first cathedrals built in the Gothic Era and its construction spanned through almost the entire period of Gothic architecture. As a result, Notre Dame is often used as the most basic example of what Gothic architecture is. Nevertheless, the differences in its appearance made the arabic influences in Spain more obvious to me.
Once inside the cathedral, I felt a little let down. Because the cathedral had been built up, I was expecting it to stop me in my tracks. Compared with other cathedrals that I have toured, inside it was less decorated and more cave like. I do not mean to suggest that it was not grand, because it certainly was magnificent; however, the attributes of Notre Dame were different than those constructed in Spain. The flying butrices which allowed for thinner walls and higher cielings were the highest that I had seen, which certainly speaks to it as an example of Gothic architecture. Furthermore, each of the tall windows had unique stained glass that surpassed all of the other windows I have viewed in other cathedrals. In Notre Dame, I was able to sit down for a while and meditate on my surroundings and while the cathedral was not the image I was expecting, it was certainly impressive.
However, the appearance of the cathedral is not the most important thing that I took away from my visit to the cathedral. As I was sitting on the wood bench in the building, I watched hundreds of people from all races and cultures walk past me. Notre Dame was one of the most crowded locations that I visited, and as the most internationally toured city in the world, the Parsian cathedral was an example of multi-cultural appeal. However, information about the cathedral revealed that this was not always the case. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a work of literature that is famous worldwide as well. The value of the fictional novel was that it was written as a way to bring attention to the cathedral in order to save it from pending destruction. Needless to say that the proganda was successful and not only saved the cathedral, but also inciated an adoration for the building. What I find so interesting about this story, is proof that while times change, tthe popular culture of an era has the ability to change the course of history and the views of society.
Once inside the cathedral, I felt a little let down. Because the cathedral had been built up, I was expecting it to stop me in my tracks. Compared with other cathedrals that I have toured, inside it was less decorated and more cave like. I do not mean to suggest that it was not grand, because it certainly was magnificent; however, the attributes of Notre Dame were different than those constructed in Spain. The flying butrices which allowed for thinner walls and higher cielings were the highest that I had seen, which certainly speaks to it as an example of Gothic architecture. Furthermore, each of the tall windows had unique stained glass that surpassed all of the other windows I have viewed in other cathedrals. In Notre Dame, I was able to sit down for a while and meditate on my surroundings and while the cathedral was not the image I was expecting, it was certainly impressive.
However, the appearance of the cathedral is not the most important thing that I took away from my visit to the cathedral. As I was sitting on the wood bench in the building, I watched hundreds of people from all races and cultures walk past me. Notre Dame was one of the most crowded locations that I visited, and as the most internationally toured city in the world, the Parsian cathedral was an example of multi-cultural appeal. However, information about the cathedral revealed that this was not always the case. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a work of literature that is famous worldwide as well. The value of the fictional novel was that it was written as a way to bring attention to the cathedral in order to save it from pending destruction. Needless to say that the proganda was successful and not only saved the cathedral, but also inciated an adoration for the building. What I find so interesting about this story, is proof that while times change, tthe popular culture of an era has the ability to change the course of history and the views of society.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario