As I advance in years, my perspective progresses. I attempt to lean not on my own understanding, but to seek wisdom and discernment. On a lighter note, I am working on margin in my schedule for the unforeseen, all the while praying for direction. Why employ this opening to the blog today?
It is often unplanned experiences, side streets, and extra stops that can bring the most joy in life and in travel. Yet still we tend to aim for the main events and major attractions. Why is that the case? Do we have fomo (fear of missing out)? Do we think that because people deem an occasion or site worthy, we must explore the possibility or location? Whatever the reasons, I suggest consideration of alternatives.
For a writing research trip with Cindy Stewart (former HHH blogger and author of Abounding Hope), we planned months in advance the sites we would visit. As is often the case, our schedule changed. These alterations are some of my favorite portions of the trip. What did I learn? Leave space in life for the unexpected. Be flexible. Above all, abide. This leaves room for God's plans. As I discovered in recent years, His are better than any I could design.
Additional stop #1 on our trip - Amiens, France. This is a small town located just 112 km (70 miles) north of Paris. It is northwest of Caen, which appears in prior posts. Amiens is a magnificent medieval village that offers a cathedral, views of the Somme River, and interesting tidbits to delight history enthusiasts. Oddly enough, it is not listed in the guidebook for France I used. Perhaps less attention lends itself to the quaint ambiance?
Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens featured in the image at top and three below, is a Unesco Heritage Site. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. In fact, two Notre Dame de Paris could fit inside the 200,000 cubic meter structure. It soars 42 m (137.8 feet) in height. Three master builders completed this edifice from 1220 - 1288. The elevation, sculptures, and stained glass allow this cathedral to serve as a model for Gothic architecture. It did influence many Gothic cathedrals built in the succeeding centuries. Notice the intricate and plentiful figures on the exterior. We could not take photos inside. Imagine the beautiful interior or plot a visit to Amiens to peek for yourself.
Key aspects of this monument are additions and alterations over the years that retained the nature of the structure. At the end of the 13th to the beginning of the 14th century, chapels constructed between the buttresses did not affect the interior. Over the proceeding years restorations occurred that offered enhancement. The cathedral survived religious wars, the French Revolution, and for the most part, both World Wars. Listed as an Historic Monument in 1862 and inscribed with Unesco in 1981, this site remains protected for future generations.
Continuing on and strolling through Amiens offers a glimpse into medieval life as well as current adaptions. The Quai Bélu (below) in Saint-Leu once supported the area's milliners, tanners, and weavers. Now, this lively strip serves diners at shoppers. Can you imagine women with baskets over their arms, collecting fish from the monger and produce from the farmers?
What shoes did they wear on these cobbled streets? What about their clothing? Since the dyers supported this location, did they sport a variety of colors? While little changed in this landscape, attire and goods evolved many times since the 1200s.
Now for a few whimsical notations, take a gander at this photo at right. "Where everybody knows your name..."
In the subsequent photos, do you see "L'Homme sur sa bouée?" The Man on His Buoy? As visitors cross le Pont de la Dodane, they observe a statue nestled in the Somme River. Phase one originally made of wood got a makeover and now consists of a more durable option in stainless steel. Stephan Balkenhol, a German artist created the piece in 1991. The Amiens museum team worked to design the updated version. I read a piece stating Amiens students dress him up on occasion for fun. He modeled t-shirts, hats, bags, a buoy (ironically), and even another statue dangling from his shoulders.
Can you recall a time in your life where the day unfolded contrary to what the calendar required, and the results are cherished memories? Did you take a trip that opened new horizons that were not in the guidebook? Please comment and share your stories.
As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator and later as an editor for an online magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with 118 Plans on the Bible.com app, in 44 languages.
Rebecca lives near the mountains with her husband and a rescued dog named Ranger. If it were up to her, she would be traveling - right now. Visits to their two grown sons would be first. As a member of ACFW and FHLCW, Rebecca learns the craft of fiction while networking with a host of generous writers.
Bayeux, in Northwest France, is in the Calvados department of the Normandy region. Once an important Roman city, it was captured in 880 by Rollo the Viking, who became the first duke of Normandy in 911. Bayeux was a Norman stronghold. The people spoke the Norse language.
A descendant of Rollo, William the Conqueror was born in this area and his castle exists to this day. Other medieval structures also line the cobblestoned streets from as early as the 13th century. Stone was not as prevalent as in other regions of France and construction depended upon available materials. Half-timbered was the method employed.
This term refers to the wood timbers on the inside and outside of the buildings. In between the timbers are materials such as plaster, cob, or wattle and daub. To provide space on the narrow streets, the base consumes less space. The next floors may expand outward with each floor as they climb in height. Often timbers were not the same length or width, which provided unique designs. The appearance was not as important as the strength.
Another medieval structure present in Bayeux is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Norman-Romanesque in style, the cathedral hails to the 11th century. William, Duke of Normandy and King of England, was present for the consecration in 1077. Over the years the cathedral suffered damage. The first restoration resulted in the Gothic style evident on the upper levels and capped towers.
Visitors enter through one of the smaller doors at the front. In the middle of the front façade, two massive wood doors stake their claim under a rose window. Sadly, very little original stained glass remains in the cathedral.
A 180-degree turn provides a view of the nave. The bottom level is the original Romanesque presentation. The Gothic addition towers above. Historians believe that the Bayeux Tapestry hung within the nave. Imagine the 224-foot tapestry lining these stone walls. Observe the ornate pulpit on the left of the nave.
The crypt (beneath the altar) stored relics. It is one of the only remaining portions of the 11th century cathedral. The others are the towers at the western end and the first level of the nave.
As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator and later as an editor for an online magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with over 75 Plans on the Bible.com app.
Rebecca lives in the mountains with her husband, the youngest of their two sons, and a rescued dog named Ranger. If it were up to her, she would be traveling - right now. As a member of ACFW, FHLCW, Jerry’s Guild, and Hope*Writers, Rebecca learns the craft of fiction while networking with a host of generous writers. She is working on her first fiction novel. This story unfolds from the 1830s in Northern Georgia.
Today’s post finishes up my series on the magnificent Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris as it was before the recent fire. In this installment, we’ll focus on the bells whose beloved tones are a cherished daily part of Paris life.
During the French Revolution, all but one of the cathedral’s bells were melted down to make weapons and guillotines for the revolutionaries’ grisly work. The destroyed bells were first replaced during the mid-19th century, and then again in 2013 during the celebration of Notre-Dame’s 850th anniversary. In a formal ceremony that drew extensive media coverage, the new bells were washed with holy water, anointed inside and out with chrism oils, and blessed before being installed, again completing the cathedral’s full complement.
Each bell is given a name. Emmanuel, the cathedral’s largest bell and the bourdon, the one with the lowest pitch, occupies the south tower. It is tuned to F sharp and is the only bell that survived the revolution, possibly because at thirteen tons it would have required extraordinary efforts to remove it from the belfry. It was installed during the 15th century and was recast in 1681 at the request of King Louis XIV who gave it its name. Emmanuel sounds each hour of the day and has been rung to mark some of the most important events in France’s history. It sounded the “Te Deum” for the coronations of the French kings and has been rung for the funerals of French heads of state, the visits of important world leaders, the end of wars, national and international tragedies, and holy days such as Christmas, Easter, and Ascension. Bell ringers and musicians still consider this bell to have one of the most beautiful tones in all of Europe.
Accompanying Emmanuel in the south tower is the cathedral’s second largest bell, a drone bell named Marie in homage to the Virgin Mary. At six tons and tuned to G Sharp, Marie is called the petite bourdon). Cast in a foundry in The Netherlands, it is engraved with the phrases “Je vous salue Marie,” (in French, “Hail Mary”) and “Via viatores quaerit,” (in Latin, “The way is looking for travelers”). Below is an image of the infant Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, surrounded by stars and a relief with the Adoration of the Magi.
Eight bells of graduated sizes occupy the north tower. At left are nine of the bells on public display in the cathedral’s nave in February 2013. From left to right are Jean-Marie, Maurice, Benoît-Joseph, Étienne, Marcel, Denis, Anne-Geneviève, Gabriel, and Bourdon Marie.
South Bell Tower
The largest, named Gabriel after the Archangel Gabriel, who announced the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary, weighs four tons and plays A sharp. It was cast in a bell foundry outside Paris in 2013 and is inscribed with the first sentence of the Angelus. Forty engraved lines represent the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert and the 40 years the children of Israel spent wandering in Sinai desert. It is used mainly for ordinary masses on Sundays and chimes the hours throughout the day. Like Emmanuel and Marie it is also used to mark important events.
Anne-Geneviève is the second largest bell in the north tower and the fourth largest in the cathedral. Its name is a tribute to St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, and St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. The second line of the Angelus is engraved on it as well as three lines representing the Trinity and the three theological virtues. Weighing three tons, it is tuned to B and is also used to mark specific events. It is the only bell that remains silent during the Angelus Domini at 8 a.m., noon, and 8 p.m. in the summer.
Denis is the third largest bell in the north tower and fifth largest in the cathedral. Named in honor of Saint Denis, the martyr who was also the first bishop of Paris c. 250, the bell has engraved on it the third phrase of the Angelus and seven lines representing the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the seven Sacraments. It weighs 2 tons and plays C sharp.
Marcel, the fourth largest bell in the north tower and the cathedral’s sixth largest, is named for Saint Marcel, the ninth bishop of Paris in the fifth century, who was known for his tireless service to the poor and sick. The fourth phrase of the Angelus is engraved on it. Tuned to D sharp, it weighs 1.9 tons.
Étienne, the fifth largest bell in the north tower and seventh largest in the cathedral at 1.5 tons, plays E sharp and is named after the first Christian martyr, St. Étienne (in English St. Stephen). It commemorates the old cathedral church of Paris that preceded Notre Dame, which was dedicated to the saint and carries the fifth phrase of the Angelus. Its most prominent feature is a gold stripe above the nameplate.
Benoît-Joseph is the sixth largest bell in the north tower and the cathedral’s eighth largest, named in honor of Pope Benedict XVI, using the French version of his pontifical name and his given name, Joseph. It plays F and weighs 1.3 tons. It has two silver stripes above the skirt, one silver stripe above the nameplate, and is inscribed with the sixth phrase of the Angelus. This bell is used for weddings and sometimes chimes the hour replacing Gabriel, generally on the Ave Maria.
Maurice is the seventh largest bell in the north tower and the cathedral’s second smallest, weighing one ton and playing G sharp. It’s named after Maurice de Sully, the bishop of Paris who laid the first stone for the construction of the cathedral in 1163. It has two gray stripes below the nameplate and the inscription, “Pray for us, Holy Mother of God.” This bell is used for weddings.
Notre Dame de Paris
Jean Marie, the tenth and smallest bell is tuned to A sharp and weighs 0.780 tons. It bears the name of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, who was the bishop of Paris from 1981 until 2005. It has a small gray stripe above the skirt and displays the eighth and last sentence of the Angelus. This bell is also used for weddings.
Four additional bells were added at the top of the North Tower in 1856 to replace those destroyed during the French Revolution. These rang daily for basic services, the Angelus, and the chiming of the hours, but were placed in storage in February 2012. The largest of these, Angélique-Françoise weighs 2.11 tons and is tuned to C sharp. Antoinette-Charlotte, weighing 1.47 tons, is tuned to D sharp. Jacinthe-Jeanne at 1 ton is tuned to F. The smallest at 1,691 lbs. Denise-David, is tuned to F sharp like Emmanuel.
In 1867, a carillon of three bells were put in place in the spire with two chimes that linked to the monumental clock. Another three bells were placed in the actual structure of the Notre-Dame Cathedral itself so that they could be heard inside. These have not been rung for some time, but their restoration was under consideration before the fire.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series on the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris! Please take a moment to listen to the ringing of the cathedral’s bells, then share your answers to the questions below.
Do you live or work where church bells sound the hours of the day? If so, do you find it pleasurable or distracting? If there are no bells in your vicinity, what other sounds might capture your attention on a typical day, for example, wind blowing through the trees, wind chimes, bird songs, animal sounds like the lowing of cows, bees buzzing in the garden? Or does the cacophony of city streets energize you? Please share the sounds you enjoy during your day!
~~~
J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a lifelong student of history. She is a professional editor, a publisher, and the author of award-winning historical fiction whose books have been endorsed by bestselling authors such as Lori Benton, Laura Frantz, Jocelyn Green, Michelle Moran, and MaryLu Tyndal. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. She is also the author of One Holy Night, which won the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year and co-authored the award-winning Northkill Amish Series with Bob Hostetler. Her latest release is Refiner’s Fire, Book 6 of the American Patriot Series.
Today I’m continuing my series on the magnificent Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris as it was before the recent fire. In this installment, we’ll focus on the decorations that grace the exterior, or its iconography.
The devil weighing sinners' souls
Gothic cathedrals and churches in a very real sense functioned as a liber pauperum, or poor people’s book. Since the great majority of people at that time were illiterate, they featured a wealth of sculptures that illustrated biblical stories. Notre Dame is one of the most impressive examples ever built. Originally all the sculptures on its façades were painted and gilded, which must have created quite a stunning effect, particularly for rural peasants and the city’s poor. The picture above shows the lower part of the cathedral’s front or western façade that faces the square. The statues at the top portray the 28 kings of Judea and Israel. Below, from left to right are the portals of the Virgin, the Last Judgement, and Saint-Anne. The tympanum over the central portal is composed of figures of sinners being led off to hell, while good Christians are being taken to heaven. The right portal shows the coronation of the Virgin Mary, and the left the lives of saints who are especially important to Parisians, foremost among them Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary’s mother.
Allegory of Alchemy
Not all the sculptural decoration portrays religious figures, however. Some is devoted to medieval science and philosophy. The central portal of the west façade includes figures holding circular plaques decorated with alchemistic symbols. The central door’s center pillar at left features a statue of a woman on a throne holding a scepter in her left hand. In her right are two books, one of which is open (symbolizing public knowledge), and the other closed (symbolizing esoteric knowledge). A ladder with seven steps represents the seven steps alchemists followed in their quest to transform ordinary metals into gold.
Chimera
Strix
The exteriors of gothic cathedrals and churches also featured various grotesques or monsters. Notre Dame’s were added in about 1240, and include gargoyles; chimeras, which are a mythical hybrid creature with the body of a lion and the head of a goat; and strix or stryge, creatures resembling owls or bats that were said to eat human flesh. Taken from figures in classical Roman literature, they were symbols of the evil that those who did not follow the teachings of the church would face. The gargoyles have a practical purpose as well. They serve as rain spouts to project rainwater away from the building as far as possible to prevent it from eroding the mortar between the stones, consequently a large number were used to create many thin streams. Rainwater runs from the roof into lead gutters from which it flows down channels on the flying buttresses, then along channels cut into the backs of the gargoyles and out its mouth. Many statues and grotesques, were removed during the 17th and 18th centuries, and more were destroyed during the French Revolution. During the cathedral’s restoration in the 1800s these were replaced with figures in the Gothic style designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.
Gargoyles
Let’s finish off with an informative brief video on how the Cathedral of Notre Dame was built.
~~~
J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a lifelong student of history. She is a professional editor, a publisher, and the author of award-winning historical fiction whose books have been endorsed by bestselling authors such as Lori Benton, Laura Frantz, Jocelyn Green, Michelle Moran, and MaryLu Tyndal. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. She is also the author of One Holy Night, which won the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year and co-authored the award-winning Northkill Amish Series with Bob Hostetler. Her latest release is Refiner’s Fire, Book 6 of the American Patriot Series.
Today I’m continuing my series on the magnificent Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris as it was before the recent fire. Thankfully the French Senate recently approved plans for an exact restoration, rejecting proposals to drastically modernize its appearance. It turns out that the majority of the experts and the public agree that it’s a historical artifact and should be restored to its former glory, with which I heartily concur.
In this installment, I want to focus on the three exquisite medieval rose windows that are the real standouts of the cathedral’s features. The fire left these intact, though they suffered some damage. According to the cathedral’s rector, one of the windows is unstable and will have to be dismantled for repair. That may already have taken place as restoration is already underway.
The West Rose
The first rose window to be installed is the one over the west portals. It’s also the smallest at a little over 32 feet in diameter. It was created in about 1225, with the colored glass pieces placed in a thick circular stone frame. Because of damage it had to be recreated in the 1800s, and none of the original glass remains. (Along the bottom of the window in the image to the left you can see parts of the cathedral’s magnificent pipe organ.)
The two transept windows are larger and contain more glass than the rose on the western façade. This was possible due to the new system of flying buttresses that enabled the builders to make the nave walls not only thinner, but also stronger. The north rose was installed around 1250 and 18 small vertical windows were added below it.
The South Rose
King Louis IX of France, known as Saint Louis, gave the south rose to the Cathedral. Its size and beauty sets it apart. Created around 1260, it’s 12.9 meters in diameter; while the surrounding claire-voie brings it to a total of 19 meters. Some of the original medallions were moved into circles farther out during restorations in later centuries. Let’s take a closer look at this masterpiece.
Ninety-four medallions are arranged in four circles around the central rose depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The twelve medallions of the inner circle portray the twelve apostles, while the next two circles depict martyrs and virgins. The outer fourth circle includes twenty angels, as well as saints such as Saint Denis, Margaret the Virgin with a dragon, and Saint Eustace that are important to Paris. The third and fourth circles also contain depictions of Old Testament subjects, while the third circle includes medallions showing scenes from the Matthew’s Gospel that are the oldest glass in the window, dating from the last quarter of the 12th century.
In 1543 the south rose suffered damage when the cathedral’s masonry walls settled. It wasn’t restored until between 1725 and 1727 and was again badly damaged during the second French Revolution in 1830 when rioters burned the archbishop’s residence, which was next to the cathedral. Many of its panes were destroyed. In 1861 Eugène Viollet-le-Duc entirely rebuilt the window, rotating it to give it a clear vertical and horizontal axis and replacing the lost glass to match so that today it contains both medieval and 19th century glass. Below are sixteen windows with painted images of biblical prophets. Not part of the original window, they were painted by Alfred Gérenthe under Viollet-le-Duc’s direction during the restoration and are based on a similar window at Chartres Cathedral.
The rose windows are indeed extraordinary! Some of you may have had the good fortune to visit Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and see them in person. But even if you haven’t, there are many beautiful cathedrals and churches endowed with lovely stained glass windows in this country. Please share any you’ve visited that particularly stood out to you and tell us what features you most enjoyed!
~~~
J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a lifelong student of history. She is a professional editor, a publisher, and the author of award-winning historical fiction whose books have been endorsed by bestselling authors such as Lori Benton, Laura Frantz, Jocelyn Green, Michelle Moran, and MaryLu Tyndal. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. She is also the author of One Holy Night, which won the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year and co-authored the award-winning Northkill Amish Series with Bob Hostetler. Her latest release is Refiner’s Fire, Book 6 of the American Patriot Series.
![Benh LIEU SONG [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrJLzt1RabnoOAoAlk1xbF9OWVpfDssJFSJujJiR70L8ttWgkOEUvZa-YxoXXHOYlo1bVf49RhwMLTnZL7SuzSnIClWF-YS_z14U-xCpKIjJLy_C29wfcP4wKw6Pd2P-L8BlHeHouuPcQ/s1600/Notre_Dame_Paris_front_facade_lower.jpg "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Notre_Dame_Paris_front_facade_lower.jpg")
![PHGCOM [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI07C_GJjR3gYsvJXNsSE8Nmbq4y2yjGItHbCgjXOb9oM3QiDAlwUFwF0Ldmvn9b-n8EyKjQiO5swzUXsyIkEEsz2gP50yGScxCK5k1NBP6IQtpe3TM9OyZHesmKwDrvrLgO9ioIoPDbo4/s1600/640px-DevilCentralGateNotreDameParis.jpg "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DevilCentralGateNotreDameParis.jpg")
![Chosovi assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMJb-3EmZwduZZh4c3AyZVJaj_MdIKfD11u3_3akONWnvvauPz-VDwEyuqYx-GmUt6Ia8Z-v8abq7V33xRvo8nmouXDngNikYgbRGAdgEFxhTSyRtyhGLaKM_MzAlmUAdSwGI9luOreoN/s1600/640px-Alegor%25C3%25ADa_de_la_alquimia_en_Notre-Dame.jpg "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Alegor%C3%ADa_de_la_alquimia_en_Notre-Dame.jpg")
![Sharon Mollerus [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXlaiwAtwMRv5AnA4VAc6OP6sQVFYC8A9RR4AuagqcalfNsG_jgcxEbVPRYwXFYYvcVOSQLy0dfbVzMbLGvzpfbnoZ3a6cyMnW0IAXOPaiTNwyTYhejAYBsAllGlR5o-uFVG7bx3v4oeJ/s1600/Chimera.jpg "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gargoyle_Point_of_View_(3575829233).jpg")
![Krzysztof Mizera [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u06m0na0eF6bEICe8JjSwEzWKoc-2WSmnsXeFODpBl0ncBELoYVxahfOQNSlcQh7aNwYzIpD5UDMpSHmIBR6EYJVv73BXHABwankuVVvNKqjOylTPTBSHrap1rG-3w2XVTz-bYceL5gv/s1600/444px-Notre-Dame_Rzygacze+Gargoyles.jpg "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Notre-Dame_Rzygacze.JPG")
