The Secrets Of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral (History Documentary) | Perspective

paper was light gold in medieval times i want tobacco sugar [Music] that everything we thought we knew about the world might turn out to be completely wrong [Music] is [Music] here we are in the great square that is the forecourt of notre dame it is crowded with people from every corner of the world of every generation every language on earth can be heard here and every year millions of visitors and pilgrims hasten to this place this is the heart of the ile de la cite the heart of contemporary paris from time immemorial the great crossroads of the thoroughfares of france from north to south runs the road linking flanders to akiden from east to west the inland france of the champaign and burgundy regions moves towards the seascape of normandy and here before us is a vivid statement of faith notre dame she stands as a beacon in the center of the city past and present her fame is not exaggerated this is one of the masterpieces of gothic architecture but this cathedral is more than a historical monument it is above all the house of the lord and the dwelling place of man like millions of pilgrims and the faithful from throughout the world let us pass through her doors [Music] the cathedral is the mother church of a diocese the church of the bishop who is successor to the apostles of jesus christ that is where his seat is his cathedral which is where the name cathedral comes from it is a vast church a place for the gathering and shelter of the ecclesia the community of christians around their priest pastor [Music] the current archbishop is andre cardinal vantois the first bishop of paris was sandini and cardinal vantois is the 140th this is where we find the high altar where the bishop celebrates the eucharist the central mystery of christian life the remembrance of the death and resurrection of christ it's also a meeting place for the faithful to assemble as the place where the word of god is passed on any cathedral past or present is a locus of the teaching of religion and doctrine to enrich the faith of baptized christians now as in the past the west front in the center of which is the statue of the virgin presenting her son to the city stands to proclaim the fundamental message the mystery of the incarnation the mystery of god who made man to save mankind [Music] oh for more than 20 centuries people have been praying in this place before the present notre dame cathedral first a gallo roman temple then a christian church and then a cathedral all stood here the spread of christianity in the paris region goes back to the middle of the third century a.d and was carried out by sandini and his fellow priests after the conversion of the roman emperor constantine christianity became the official religion of the roman empire from then onwards christian communities were organized around their pastor the bishop his church the cathedral would soon symbolize the city was thus that the il de la cite became the spiritual heart of paris and so it remains today [Music] on the surface of the forecourt square we can see the paving stones that show where the first cathedral was situated at the end of the 4th century a.d this was a basilica of since stephen a building of exceptionally large dimensions that made it one of the biggest churches in christendom at the time [Music] what is now the hotel due hospital also serves as a reminder of the construction that occurred around the cathedral that was here before notre dame there was a center to take in and help the sikh the outcast and the poor in a spirit of charity towards one's neighbor here illustrated in the stonework of notre dame scenes of student life recall these early years when schools were set up near the basilica of saint stephen which later became some of the primary intellectual centers of western civilization in 1160 one of the products of this education maurice de sully was elected bishop the king considered him the most enthusiastic governor of souls promptly after being elected mauistosuli decided to build a new cathedral based on recent architectural innovations that had already been put to use in other churches such as the abbey of sandini or the cathedrals of nguyen son lis long these new techniques allowed much more light into the building light would thus fill the space and this brightness within would be the symbolic reflection of the everlasting light of which god himself is the source [Music] between the 11th and the 13th centuries a wave of design started from paris and covered the kingdom of france with cathedrals built using the new architectural methods of gothic art this gothic fervor went on to influence the rest of europe including england germany bohemia spain poland and sweden the gothic style of architecture offers a solution to the problem of weight bearing down on the barrel vault the solution consists first of the use of rib vaults then of flying buttresses the ribs are sustaining archers that support the weight of the vault and distribute it to the columns that uphold it among four columns two barrel arches cross at a diagonal and thus open up the space at notre dame the rib vaults are reinforced by an additional barrel with a rib in the middle that divides the vault into six sections this is called a sex partite vault and is characteristic of notre dame the vault provides a vertical lift such that the central columns carry the weight of the building the weight is also pushed on an outward slant and would distort the building horizontally but that sideways pressure is then absorbed by the galleries and the flying buttresses so that the whole edifice comes into balance the flying buttress is a stone arch that leans against an outside abutment to support the upper portion of a wall there is thus no longer a need for massive walls instead large stained glass windows can take their place [Music] these new forms of gothic art make it possible to reveal the spiritual sense that maurice de sully wanted to give to his cathedral it will become an image of the city of god the heavenly jerusalem i am the light of the world he that followeth me shall have the light of life in this same era they developed a new form of spirituality in which the virgin mary held the decisive role thus it was that like many other cathedrals in france the new cathedral in paris would be dedicated to the virgin and be named our lady of paris notre dame de paris [Music] beyond this impression of balance a mixture of strength and grace the west front facade proclaims in stone through an interplay of simple geometric lines vertical and horizontal square and circular the central message of christianity the word was made flesh and dwelt among us here in the middle is a circle a perfect and boundless form and thus the representation of things in heaven which is placed inside a square the image of the earthly world this geometric symbolism strongly proclaims the message of the incarnation [Music] tradition has it that the first stone of the new cathedral was laid by pope alexander iii in 1163 [Music] building began with the eastward cheve facing the rising sun the traditional symbol of the resurrection that is celebrated in every liturgy from 1163 to 1250 four major building phases occurred to which several generations of master builders contributed [Music] a first master builder constructed the chancel and its double ambulatory over an original height of four stories then the first three bays of the nave were built as well as the side aisles and the galleries above them after the death of maurice de sully in 1196 his successes carried on with the original plan the last two bays of the nave were completed and the facade was erected with its great portals gallery of kings the great rose window and the archways above it and the two towers the master builders of the end of the 13th and early 14th centuries completed the look of the cathedral as it now is in particular by the installation of two large rose windows at each end of the transept these stained glass windows are masterpieces of their genre by 1330 after 170 years of work notre dame was built although some changes have been made to the initial specifications of maurice de sully the original plan had largely been adhered to the result was spectacular 128 meters long 40 meters wide 33 meters high below the vaulted ceilings one commentator charles egdahl wrote that notre dame is a stunning poem in stone that one can read and re-read and each time find new beauties revealed [Music] [Applause] [Music] r [Music] so in this golden age of christianity in the middle of the 13th century in the west a traveler emerging from the narrow streets onto the forecourt would find just like today the impressive spectacle of the great portals of the facade of notre dame the south portal known as the portal of sundan the portal of the last judgment in the center and the portal of the virgin the north portal each of the portals contains two wooden door panels decorated with marvelously crafted iron work some of which dates to the 13th century the two doors are divided by a sculpted pier known in french gothic architecture as a trumpo above the doors of the trumo there are two horizontal lintels and atop them a triangle culminating in a cut-off arch the tympanum still higher are concentric sculpted arches known as archivals [Music] on these portals is recounted the whole life of mary from her youth her marriage to joseph and the birth of jesus right up to the last moments of her earthly life her entry into glory and her crowning in heaven the right hand portal is named for sudan mother of the virgin mary this is the oldest of the three portals and recalls features of the prior basilica of saint stephen in particular on the timpanum is a grand portrayal of the mother of god a majestic virgin sitting beneath a canopy and displaying the child who is giving us his benediction the lintel show us all the stages of the life of the virgin mary her marriage to joseph the annunciation by the angel gabriel that mary would conceive a child jesus called the son of god and the nativity the scene of jesus's birth in bethlehem the left-hand portal known as the portal of the virgin is of exceptional quality and ranks as one of the most beautiful examples of french sculpture of the 13th century on the upper lintel two scenes are depicted the dormition and the assumption of the virgin surrounded by the twelve apostles and by jesus who has come back to bring her to heaven on the tippanum is found the theme of the coronation of the virgin before the risen christ on the archivals the celestial choirs sing in praise of the virgin as queen of heaven where she shares in the glory of her son the central portal the portal of the last judgment also dates from the beginning of the 13th century but has been reworked on numerous occasions throughout the years christ displays the wounds of his suffering and reminds us that he came to save humankind through love on either side two angels respectively hold the instruments of his passion the cross spear and nails while the virgin and saint john the two great witnesses of calvary pray in intercession for all humankind [Music] [Applause] [Music] sweets the gallery of kings does not portray the kings of france as was once thought but the kings of judah and ancient israel the human ancestors of mary and jesus these 28 statues were so loathed at the time of the french revolution that they were smashed as tokens of royal tyranny [Music] [Music] periodic work was done on notre dame over the years and in the 19th century a major restoration project took place the cathedral was in a dreadful state of disrepair when urja and violello duke undertook to restore it since the 18th century the middle ages had been scorned and the destructive actions of the french revolution had worsened the deterioration of notre dame however the romantic movement and especially victor hugo's novel the hunchback of notre dame which the famous french author published in 1831 drew the attention of the public to the sad fate of the august cathedral the public's interest was piqued to the point that enough money was raised to renovate notre dame violent duke has often been criticized for his restoration of notre dame but the truth is that he saved this shrine the most visible addition by violet duke was the spire which rises to 93 meters at the cross of the transept it replaced an earlier spire built in the 13th century which had slowly been bent by the wind over the centuries it was removed after 500 years of service at the end of the 19th century violet duke ordered a new spire from the carpenter bellew it's made of oak covered in lead and weighs 750 tons the spire is watched over by statues of the twelve apostles in hammered copper all the apostles face paris except for one saint thomas the patron saint of architects whose features are those of violet duke himself he faces the spire as if to contemplate his handiwork violent duke had already left his imprint on the restoration of the gallery of kings where he portrayed himself on the eighth statue at the top of the spire the rooster situated there to provide spiritual protection hold three relics a small piece of the crown of thorns a relic from sandini and another from saint genevieve the patron saint of paris [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] the windows of notre dame have always been of outstanding magnificence and astonished all the travelers who have entered its walls the gothic period made the architecture of cathedrals and architecture of light as with the church portals the stained glass windows display scenes from the old and new testaments the lives of the faithful and the surrounding city from a technical standpoint a mixture consisting of two-thirds of ashes of beechwood and fern and one-third of sand is brought to a molten state the resulting paste is shaped and blown the thickness of the glass varies between three and six millimeters this unevenness provides the radiance that makes the stained glass so beautiful [Music] the three great rose windows are some of notre dame's masterpieces the oldest is the west rose window above the organ it dates from 12 20 and is the rose window of the ages of man [Music] around a virgin and child medallions show virtues sins the seasons the work of months and [Music] days with a diameter of 9.6 meters it was at the time the largest rose window ever made the two rose windows in the transept date from the reign of saint louis king of france and were made between 1250 and 1270 most of the glass of the north rose window has been preserved intact once again the virgin holding the child is at the center around her are assembled judges kings high priests and prophets in all 80 figures from the old testament bear witness to the history of israel whilst awaiting the coming of the messiah this sense of expectation is conveyed by the dominant use of cool colours [Music] in contrast to the north rose window the south rose window was substantially changed in the 18th and 19th centuries installed in 1260 it's built around the symbolism of the number 12 the number of the world accomplished into the created world depicted by the number four comes the triune god as a three this rose window shows the ages of the church apostles martyrs confessors and virgins surround christ in majesty here the christ of the new covenant is emphasized by the use of warm colors each rose window has a diameter of 13 meters and adding in the size of the straight windows of the bay below they measure 18 meters which make them among the largest of their kind in the world all the stained glass windows of notre dame were destroyed in the 18th century except for the great rose windows in 1855 violet duke remade all the stained glass windows in the apps chapel the chapel surrounding the chancel the high windows of the chancel and nave as well as the windows of the small cloister and the sacristy for the 800th anniversary of the cathedral in 1964 new windows by the master glass worker jacques chevalier were made and installed in the high windows of the nave these windows display no figures and use colors close to those of the transept rose windows during the middle ages the chancels of churches were blocked off from the rest of the church by a barrier so as to encourage contemplation at notre dame the barrier was installed in the late 13th and early 14th centuries this rude screen as it is called blocked entry to the chancel and hid the high altar the symbolic center of the church from the congregation the original rude screen was lost but the separation of the chancel from the rest of the cathedral lasted until the end of the 20th century [Music] today the chancel is open so as to bring it together with the rest of the nave and the congregation [Music] only a small portion of the 13th century barrier remains around the chancel [Music] the screen is decorated with a series of stone sculptures that together with the original root screen was highly educational on the north side there are admirable scenes of the life of jesus from the visitation until his agony on the mount of olives on the south side nine scenes display the appearances of the risen christ from easter morning until the ascension these portrayals had an educational purpose the colors of these sculptures may surprise us but they were quite usual in the middle ages when portions of the inside and outside walls of the churches were painted [Music] ah [Music] over time the side chapels as well as the ambulatory chapels were increasingly decorated with altar shelves known as red tables paintings statues and metal works little is left today some of the side chapels are adorned with may paintings from 1630 until 1707 on the 1st of may the opening day of mary's month there was a tradition of offering a large picture called a may painting to the cathedral this was a significant creative artistic endeavor in which the greatest religious painters of the time outdid themselves in total 76 may paintings were produced they were removed from notre dame in 1793 during the french revolution there are still 12 of them inside chapels of the nave [Music] on february the 10th 1638 king louis xiii dedicated the kingdom of france to the virgin mary in thanksgiving this is what has come to be called the vow of louis xiii in remembrance of this act of consecration he requested that for each solemnity of the assumption on august the 15th the day when the church celebrates mary's ascension to heaven a great procession should be organized at the end of the office of vespers this procession is still today at the heart of the celebrations that the cathedral conducts to commemorate the 15th of august with a river pilgrimage on the sem and which attracts the biggest congregation of the year the silver statue of the virgin and child generates considerable ardour [Music] king louis xiii also decided to rearrange the chancel sanctuary by a quirk of history his wish was not to be granted until the beginning of the 18th century and would be carried out by his son king louis xiv two of the architects who had worked on the chateau de versailles installed a baroque decor most of which is still visible today in the center is a pieta a statue of the virgin mary holding in her lap her dead son which is the work of the sculptor nicola cousteau framing the pieta on the right is a statue of louis xiii presenting his crown and scepter to the virgin mary and on the left a magnificent portrayal of louis xiv at prayer around them six angels in bronze bear the instruments of the passion of the christ the crown of thorns the nails the sponge soaked in vinegar the reed the inscription inry and the spear we should not fail to notice mary's quite distinctive expression she's the very face of sorrow but her eyes are lifted to heaven in hope behind her a gilt cross of glory the work of mark couturier in 1993 gives all its meaning to the group of sculptures for it signifies the victory of the risen christ [Music] this baroque decor is rounded out by the cannon stalls which are among the most splendid achievements of the latter reign of louis xiv the life of the virgin mary is depicted across the tall panels [Music] is recent liturgical changes have caused further changes in the layout of the chancel thus in 1989 jean-marie cardinal lustiga asked a new high altar designed by the sculptor jean-toure should be installed at the entry of the chancel this modern work of sacred art fully respects the grand symbolic traditions of the church the four evangelists shown on the order front which faces the nave are surrounded by the depiction of the four greater prophets on the sides [Music] this is an echoing of the traditional depiction in stained glass windows of the four evangelists mounted on the shoulders of the four greater prophets [Music] the cross of glory completes the scene magnificently the culminating point of the axis of the cathedral turned in mystery to face the horizon of christ's [Music] resurrection the choir is where celebrations of the liturgy and the great hours of the cathedral take place the current archbishop cardinal vantois following in the tradition of saint marcel and all his other predecessors continues to baptize adults on easter eve to conduct confirmations and to consecrate bishops ordain priests and create deacons [Music] um [Music] is [Music] a the choir is also where the holy relic of the crown of thorns and the relics of the passion of the christ are venerated saint louis king of france purchased the crown of thorns and brought it to the kingdom of france in 1239. since the 19th century these relics have been entrusted to the care of the canons of notre dame and held under the guardianship of the knights of the order of the holy sepulchre of jerusalem the crown of thorns is displayed for the veneration of the faithful on the first friday of each month all fridays in lent and on good friday [Music] a cathedral without voice and music would be soulless and empty the end of the 12th century the new pointed arches rising high in the chancel of the church called for a new form of music as well the masters and singers of the time perfected a bold new style of chant in which several voices sing on top of the other known as polyphonic chant which made the reputation of the school of notre dame music has been an integral part of notre dame since the beginning this is the sacred place where human voices are raised to god in praise and supplication that is why a church is most fulfilled when celebration occurs through chanted prayer and when sacred music choirs and the organ provide inspiration [Music] [Music] during the same period the cathedral began using its first organ a modest instrument that blended with the choir the organ is a major feature of the liturgy and musical life of the cathedral [Music] [Applause] [Music] the big organ results from several centuries of musical development and french organ making with five manuals 109 stops and nearly 8 000 pipes it is the biggest organ in france and surely one of the best known in the world [Music] as in olden times music continues to play a major role in spreading the fame of notre dame cathedral weekly organ recitals and concerts by the music masters are evidence of the insistence on excellence by all the participants who provide the music of notre dame [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] above the vaults and under the roof lies the great wood-beamed framework of notre dame made of oak it is known to insiders as the forest it consists of the wood of 1 300 oak trees which adds up to more than 21 hectares this wooden framework dates from the 13th century and is one of the oldest examples of wood-beamed frames in existence particularly since notre dame has had the good fortune not to experience a major fire [Music] yes [Applause] [Music] so notre dame's gargoyles are famous they were positioned at the end of the gutters to run rainwater off the roof thanks to the positioning of the gargoyles overhanging the sides of the cathedral the sometimes impressive amounts of water coming down in a rain shower are deflected away from the walls of the cathedral which in this way are spared water damage the gargoyles often take the form of fabulous animals that were included in the medieval bestiary there was so much wear and tear on them over time that most of these gargoyles now date from the restorations of the 19th century the chimeras on the other hand are statues of imaginary grotesque or devilish subjects whose purpose is purely decorative they are high up on the building at the top of the west front all the sides of the upper railing are a resting place or perch for these fairy tale demons monsters and birds it's the chimera gallery these features weren't there in the middle ages violet duke drew them from his imagination and designed them himself in keeping with a medieval spirit [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] is on great religious occasions notre dame literally rings the two towers of the cathedral are bell towers from the 13th century onwards there were bells in the north tower as many as eight like all other church bells they were melted down during the french revolution in 1792 the bells that are there today were cast in 1856 with bronze from cannons captured at the battle of sebastopol [Music] in the 14th century there were two great bells in the south tower but only the great bell emmanuel survived the french revolution emmanuel weighs 13 tons and her clapper weighs 500 kilos in olden times eight ringers were needed to ring her in teams of two at a time she chimes in f-sharp and experts view her as one of the best in europe [Music] not only is notre dame closely linked to paris as the spiritual and religious center of the city the cathedral also serves as the place where great national events have been commemorated throughout the history of france the opening of the nullification trial of joan of arc in 1455 the coronation of napoleon bonaparte emperor of the french on december the 2nd 1804 and the magnificat celebrating the liberation of paris in the presence of general de gaulle on august 26 1944 [Music] so this is the cathedral of notre dame de paris dedicated entirely to our lady of paris the virgin mary who is portrayed 40 times in the church her most famous and most worshiped statue a mother and child of the 14th century greets us on the way into the choir in the very place where the faithful have come to worship and pray to mary from the very beginning it was here at the foot of this statue during the singing of the magnificat on christmas day 1886 that the poet paul claudel converted to christianity saying in an instant my heart was touched and i believed [Music] it was here that on may the 30th 1980 pope john paul ii making his first pastoral journey to france knelt to say his prayers [Music] it was here that on september the 12th 2008 pope benedict xvi conducted the office of the vespers of the holy name of mary and it is here every evening that the clergy and the congregation finish the celebration of the mass by singing a hymn in honor of the virgin [Music] [Music] god [Music] is

Channel: Perspective

Views: 46,978

Rating: 4.7941585 out of 5

Keywords: Arts, The Arts, Theatre, Music, Full EPisode, Full documentary, documentary, performing arts, notre dame fire, notre dame de paris, notre dame cathedral, notre dame of paris, notre dame cathedral documentary, notre dame cathedral history, notre dame cathedral fire, notre dame paris

Id: sYvhsyaiUeI

Length: 49min 43sec (2983 seconds)

Published: Sat May 29 2021