What makes notre dame cathedral unique

It reached a pinnacle in the s when mobs of French people stormed Notre Dame and announced that the church should no longer be looked at or used as a church. They looted it of its relics, paintings and other valuable goods. The mob almost destroyed the church altogether. The saving grace actually came from Napoleon who, after declaring himself emperor of France, decided to hold his coronation at Notre Dame. He himself, the history books say, was a fan of the church and saw this as one way to ensure its survival moving forward.

It worked. When the revolution ended the cathedral stood tall. Eventually, the church began to be used as a church again even though it was still quite run down and ruined after the revolution. You probably recall the story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with cartoon gargoyles, musical interludes and a touching story about not judging people by their appearance.

Quasimodo — the hunchback in the story — was supposed to be a representation of gothic buildings in Paris. At the time many old gothic buildings were being demolished and Notre Dame was still sitting in ruins. There was a huge boom in investment between — to restoration efforts to the church. The spire and buttresses were renovated. The church we recognize today all dates back to these restoration projects. Without it, who knows what Notre Dame would have looked like. The spire that burned down in was not the original.

The first spire was taken down in the s because it was no longer structurally sound. During the post-Hugo renovations of the s another spire was added. It was this secondary spire that was constructed using the wood from over 52 acres of trees.

The crossing beams and arching wood support system also mirrored that of a forest. When the fire happened in it created an opportunity for scientists to examine the structure in depth for the very first time. Over 2, pieces of timber remained from the fire. Scientists believe that through studying it they can pinpoint where the logs were cut from, when they were cut, how they were grown and how old the trees were when they were harvested for the spire.

Only time will tell what secrets have lived in the building materials since they were first used. You can be sure that there are some secrets to be uncovered. Originally President Macron of France was going to open up an international competition to redesign a new spire. Since then the tide has shifted to staying close to the original. So close, in fact, that modern materials may be forgone completely.

Some say that if Notre Dame was first built with steel, iron and concrete, we would not have a modern-day Notre Dame to be discussing. Recreating the spire using wood and harvesting limestone to help rebuild damaged parts of the cathedral are now the plan to restore Notre Dame to its former glory. The old limestone quarries are reopened sometimes under special circumstances for the renovation of old statues or buildings.

Wood would also be used for any other renovations on other parts of the cathedral or the flying buttresses. This building is not a stable entity. It has been destroyed, pillaged, rebuilt, loved, hated, burned, and rebuilt again. The church itself is built upon ancient ruins of a time long forgotten.

Here we are again in the 21st century rebuilding it once again not with renovation in mind but restoration and preservation. Whatever drives our modern thinking to be so concerned about preserving the past, the fact that resorting to natural materials is the best way to do it is indicative of the changes currently happening in construction.

Wood after all is one of the fast-rising construction material trends of our time. As we strive towards a world built to last, to be adaptable and to evolve with the times, Notre Dame may hold the key to what really makes a building sustainable. We'll notify you here with news about. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest?

Comments 0. Top Stories. McDonald's CEO faces growing criticism after gun victim text 1 hour ago. Jan 08, PM. The crypt Located under the Parvis medieval square de Notre-Dame de Paris, the crypt contains historical ruins discovered during construction work in Location 6 Parvis Notre-Dame. Place Jean-Paul II. Schedule Monday — Friday: am to pm Saturday and Sunday: 8 am to pm. Louvre Museum Arc de Triomphe.

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