Figure 2.30 Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris before the fire in 2019. The famous flying buttresses were not part of the initial architecture, but were included when the weight of the vault began to cause structural problems.
In 1506, after the spire at Chartres Cathedral was destroyed by lightning, it was replaced with a contemporary 16th-century design. Do you think that a new spire for Notre Dame in Paris should be a 21st-century design, or should the reconstruction of such a famous Paris landmark match the original 13th-century architecture?
Reims Cathedral
Reims Cathedral was the place of the coronation for of the kings of France (Fig. 2.31). This piece of Rayonnant Gothic architecture is particularly famous for the complicated tracery on its windows. Building began in 1211 and continued until 1516, but following the Revolution and damage during World War I, a good deal of restoration has taken place. Fortunately, most of its sculpture has survived and the statues on the doorways are the originals.
The central portal of the main entrance is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but instead of the traditional tympanum, it is surmounted by a rose window framed by a triangular sculptured arch.
Rouen Cathedral
Rouen has been called the ‘City of a Hundred Spires’ because of its many church spires. Towering above them all is the 150 m cast-iron masterpiece on the city’s cathedral. This was erected in 1876.
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Figure 2.31 Reims Cathedral. Seven towers were planned for the cathedral, but only two on the western façade were completed. The spires were never added.
