“Notre-Dame, parish of the state since the Middle Ages” according to historian Mathieu Lours

What is the novelty of Gothic art?

The innovative idea of ​​crossing two pointed arches in order to distribute the weight of the vaults on columns rather than on walls characterizes the Gothic style. Flying buttresses on the outside of the building technically complete the system: Thus freed from their supporting role, the walls can be pierced with openings which will very quickly be decorated with colored stained glass windows. It’s a real break.

Why this “revolution”?

Gothic appeared around 1130 thanks to the conjunction of two movements of ideas. First, clerics rediscovered Aristotle’s thought and began to theologically associate God with light. Abbot Suger, who is responsible for the abbey church of Saint-Denis, observes interesting technical innovations, notably, in Great Britain, making it possible to build higher and to let in through vast bays, this light which translates the divine presence. He is also fascinated by the shimmering mosaics of the early Christian basilicas of Rome.

However, Suger is also the equivalent of a Prime Minister of the king and he will convince Louis VI of the interest of this modern opusthis new art which singles out the Capetian dynasty and will allow it to assert itself in its royal domain, through the reconstruction of the apse of Saint-Denis where several kings are buried. Very quickly, daring bishops in Sens, Laon and Noyon also adopted this style for their cathedral.

However, Romanesque art already allowed imposing buildings…

Yes, but not as bright. Furthermore, just as Romanesque art became personalized and refined in different provinces – to the point that we still speak today of “Auvergne Roman” or “Saintongeais Roman” – so much so, in the Paris Basin, Romanesque buildings often remained quite archaic, close to Carolingian models. If Gothic responds to a desire to assert political power, Romanesque art was born from the reform objectives of the Church of Pope Gregory VII, in 1075. He wanted to bring together the Christian people in a unique and prestigious cathedral, further affirming the role of the bishop. Previously, he reigned over three distinct buildings: a vast church with a basilical plan, a smaller one reserved for the canons of his entourage and, finally, a baptistery.

The texts also point them out to us in Paris: the previous cathedral – which had just been renovated around 1140! – neighbored the Saint-Étienne church for the canons and a baptistery (Saint-Jean-le-Rond). The bishop, Maurice de Sully, razed this complex in 1163 to build the largest cathedral in France at the time: five naves, one hundred and twenty meters long, unheard of! Its towers will soon dominate the surrounding buildings. The bishop thus gives new impetus to the capital of the kingdom.

Is there not also a favorable economic context?

Effectively. Between 1100 and 1300, the unprecedented increase in the country’s wealth made it possible to finance these major projects. In addition, new techniques, such as the hydraulic hammer, simplify certain operations such as the installation of the invisible metal framework of cathedrals.

Bishops compete to bring their cathedral up to date. However, you say that Gothic is royal art par excellence.

The movement started with the clerics but immediately became a tool for the kings of France who in turn influenced the bishops. In Paris particularly. In 1240, Louis IX (Saint Louis) ordered the construction of the Sainte-Chapelle, in his palace on the Île de la Cité. For this reliquary church, intended to house the relic of Christ’s crown of thorns, the project manager outdid himself, creating what we call “radiant Gothic”, more slender than its previous versions. Opposite, at Notre-Dame, we quickly adapt. It was “revamped” in 1250 when it was barely completed. Nothing is too good for the cathedral of power!

Isn’t it paradoxical when we think that Notre-Dame is neither the place of the coronation of the kings of France, nor that of their necropolis?

But it is now very linked to important events in the kingdom. This is where we play Te Deum during military victories, royal weddings take place. Notre-Dame exalts the power of the Church and that of the monarchy, these two points of balance in the quest for the salvation of the Christian people. It then became “the parish of the State” as it was called in the 18th century.

When Henry IV, converted to Catholicism at the Saint-Denis basilica, was finally able to enter Paris, which was hostile to him, on March 2, 1594, the first place he visited was Notre-Dame. It is thus part of the ritual of the sovereigns who preceded him and who made this same visit, returning from their coronation in Reims.

Doesn’t Louis XIII’s wish further strengthen this link between Notre-Dame and royalty?

Yes, of course. When the sovereign dedicated the kingdom of France to the Virgin in 1638, it was again Notre-Dame de Paris which perpetuated the memory of his vow. As still evidenced today, at the back of the choir, the splendid baroque Pietà by Nicolas Coustou, surrounded by the kneeling statues of Louis XIII and Louis XIV – which the latter commissioned to commemorate his father’s wish. Royal devotion is thus reaffirmed there while Notre-Dame is reinforced in its role as a Marian sanctuary.

At this time, was the interior layout changed?

Less than in other churches. Certainly, Louis XIV had grandiose ideas but finances did not follow. However, to follow the liturgical reforms dictated by the Council of Trent, the central part of the stone rood screen which separated the faithful from the clerics was replaced, in 1711, by a grille. At the same time, the walls of the nave and the side chapels were covered with paintings, including the famous Mays.

Isn’t this to hide the Gothic architecture?

It is true that some architectural theorists believe that the pure Gothic essence has been perverted by color. And to respond to an idea that has prevailed since the Renaissance, according to which light must be full to be true, colored medieval stained glass windows are replaced by transparent glass roofs. However, Notre-Dame retains its Gothic silhouette. Surprisingly, this style was never completely questioned when it came to consolidating the famous medieval cathedrals. Gothic was still “made” in the 17th century to repair buildings damaged by the wars of religion. It was remade in the 19th century, under the leadership of Viollet-le-Duc. And we continue in the 21st century by reconstructing the frame and the spire identically!

Notre-Dame, it would therefore be a story of continuity…

Indeed. Beyond the Revolution, it has retained its role as a link between political and religious power and the Nation, until today. It is often there that the funerals of heads of state are celebrated, where the Liberation of Paris was celebrated in August 1944, etc. For our contemporaries around the world, she embodies France and its history beyond our borders.