NOTRE DAME, PARIS

I'VE BEEN TO PARIS TWICE.  THE FIRST TIME WAS BACK IN SEPTEMBER 2011.  THAT'S WHEN I TOOK THESE PICTURES.  IF I GET BACK TO PARIS A 3rd TIME I'LL GET MORE PICTURES OF THE CHURCH.  BUT IN THE MEANTIME HERE'S SOME HISTORY ABOUT THIS FAMOUS CATHEDRAL!

THE FIRST PERIOD OF CONSTRUCTION WAS BETWEEN 1163-1345.  THE FRENCH REVOLUTION CAUSED MASSIVE DESECRATION; STATUARY AND PAINTINGS DESTROYED.  MIRACULOUSLY THE BELLS AVOIDED BEING MELTED DOWN.  THE CATHEDRAL BECAME A FOOD STORAGE WAREHOUSE.  

IN 1845 RESTORATION WAS BEGUN ON THE CATHEDRAL.  THAT RESTORATION LASTED 25 YEARS.  LESS THAN 100 YEARS LATER MORE DAMAGE WAS INFLICTED ON THE CHURCH DURING WORLD WAR II BUT IT WAS MOSTLY TO THE   STAINED GLASS WINDOWS FROM BULLETS.  THEY WERE RESTORED AND MANY OF THEM WERE RESTORED TO A MORE MODERN DESIGN.  

THE MOST RECENT RESTORATION WAS STARTED IN 1991 AND WAS PLANNED TO TAKE 10 YEARS BUT IT TOOK TWICE AS LONG.

THERE ARE 387 STEPS WHICH TAKE YOU UP ONE TOWER TO GET A GREAT VIEW ACROSS PARIS.  NOT TO MENTION AN UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL VIEW OF THE FAMOUS BELL AND GARGOYLES.   THE BELLS ARE AN INTERESTING STORY; THE MAIN BELL, CALLED EMMANUEL, HANGS IN THE SOUTH TOWER.  IN THE NORTH TOWER THERE WAS A SET OF 4 BELLS.  WHEN IT WAS FOUND THAT THE BELLS WERE VIBRATING THE ENTIRE BUILDING AND POSSIBLY CAUSING ISSUES WITH THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY, THE BELLS WENT SILENT.  IN 2012 THOSE BELLS WERE REMOVED, MELTED DOWN AND RECAST INTO 8 BELLS.  THEY WILL BE RE-HUNG IN THE NORTH TOWER AND A NEW BELL, NAMED MARIE, WILL BE CAST AND HUNG IN THE SOUTH TOWER WITH THE EMMANUEL BELL.

THE STATUES ON THE FACADE OF THE BUILDING WERE ORIGINALLY COLORED, SIMILAR TO THE CATHEDRAL IN AMIENS, FRANCE.   OF COURSE, THE PAINT HAS WORN OFF OVER THE CENTURIES.  

THE LIGHTING WAS VERY POOR SO THIS CAME OUT A BIT BLURRY;  A VERY DETAILED MODEL OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS;   THE FLYING BUTTRESSES WERE ONLY ADDED AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT TO HELP SECURE THE WALLS WHICH WERE SHOWING WEAKNESS.

THE ORGAN HAS 7,800 PIPES AND A 32-KEY PEDDLEBOARD.  THE ORGAN WAS TOTALLY UPDATED AND COMPUTERIZED IN 1992.

POOR JOHN THE BAPTIST - ALWAYS EASY TO SPOT IN A CROWD!!

SOME SPECIAL EVENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE AT THIS FAMOUS CATHEDRAL ....

MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, WAS MARRIED

CORONATION OF NAPOLEON

JOAN OF ARC IS CANONIZED

GEN. DE GALLE & PRESIDENT MITTERAND'S REQUIEM MASS

PHILLIP PETIT WALKS A TIGHTROPE BETWEEN THE TOWERS IN 1971;  A FEW YEARS LATER HE WALKED A TIGHTROPE BETWEEN THE TWIN TOWERS IN NYC

ST. MICHAEL'S, BRUSSELS

ALSO KNOWN AS ST. GUDULA CATHEDRAL.  IN 1047 THE COUNT OF LEUVEN FOUNDED THIS CHURCH.  THE CHURCH'S PATRON SAINTS, ST. GUDULA & ST. MICHAEL ARE ALSO THE PATRON SAINTS OF BRUSSELS.   THE CATHEDRAL WAS RENOVATED IN THE 13TH CENTURY.  THE CHOIR WAS CONSTRUCTED AT THAT TIME.  THE FACADE WAS COMPLETED IN THE 15TH CENTURY.

THERE IS A 49-BELL CARILLON IN ONE OF THE TOWERS.  THE TOWERS REACH A HEIGHT OF 210 FEET.  IT IS AN EPISCOPAL CHURCH BUT SINCE IT IS IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL THEY CONDUCT ROMAN CATHOLIC SERVICES HERE FOR ROYAL MARRIAGES AND STATE FUNERALS.  

YOU CAN SEE THE ORGAN PIPES ON THE LEFT SIDE.  THE ORGAN HAS A TOTAL OF 4,300 PIPES AND 4 KEYBOARDS.  

19th CENTURY STAINED GLASS BY J.B. CAPRONNIER

ABBEY OF VILLERS-LA-VILLE, BELGIUM

THIS ABBEY I GUESS THIS DOESN'T OFFICIALLY COUNT AS A EUROPEAN CATHEDRAL BUT IT'S A GREAT PEEK AT THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE AREA.    IT IS LOCATED ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LASNE.  

THE ABBEY WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1146.  MOST OF IT WAS COMPLETELY REBUILT BY THE END OF THE 13TH CENTURY.  IN THOSE DAYS THERE WERE NO FEWER THAN 100 MONKS AND SEVERAL HUNDRED LAY BROTHERS LIVING ON THE SITE.  THE DETERIORATION THAT YOU SEE ISN'T NECESSARILY DUE TO TIME TAKING IT'S TOLL BUT MUCH OF THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY RAIDS DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.  AT THAT TIME IT WAS SOLD OFF AS A NATIONAL PROPERTY.  

ONE MAJOR RESTORATION OCCURRED IN 1893 AND THEN NOT AGAIN UNTIL 1984.  IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS SOME ONGOING WORK BEING DONE.

IT WAS JUST AMAZING TO WALK AROUND THIS PROPERTY.  THEY MUST LIGHT IT UP AT NIGHT AS I DID SEE SOME LIGHT FIXTURES THROUGHOUT.  AND THERE WERE SOME CHAIRS SET UP IN THE CHURCH ITSELF SO THEY MUST HAVE SPECIAL EVENTS DURING THE YEAR.  DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS THE ABBEY IS A GREAT BACKDROP FOR SOME LIVE THEATER.  THE PERFORMANCES MOVE AROUND THE ABBEY 2 OR 3 TIMES; FROM THE ABBEY CHURCH, TO THE CLOISTERS, OR THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ABBEY.  

MONK'S REFRECTORY - 13TH CENTURY

THE CLOISTERS

THE CHURCH - 1267

100 YARDS LONG, THE NAVE VAULTS REACHING UP TO 70 FEET.  CONSTRUCTION STARTED IN 1197 AND COMPLETED IN 1267;  WAS ONE OF THE FIRST GOTHIC STYLE STRUCTURES IN THIS PART OF BELGIUM.

STONE WAS TAKEN FROM THE SURROUNDING LAND.  THE MONKS CHOSE THIS PROPERTY BECAUSE OF THE ABUNDANCE OF STONE, WATER AND IT'S SECLUSION.

LOOKS LIKE THERE WERE STAIRS HERE AT SOME POINT.  THE DORMITORY FOR THE LAYMEN WAS LOCATED ON THE 2ND FLOOR OF THIS BUILDING.

THE WORKSHOPS - BUILT IN THE 18TH CENTURY.  THIS HOUSED A LAUNDRY ROOM, STABLES, A FORGE AS WELL AS THE CARPENTER & CABINET MAKERS SHOPS.

THE CHURCH

OVERVIEW - CHURCH IS IN THE BACKGROUND

THE MODERN WORLD SNEAKS BY 

OLD VERSUS NEW

WHAT THE ABBEY WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE WITH ROOFS