Rajeev's World: Gargoyles and Chimeras - The Mysteries Of Notre-Dame...

Today is our last day to roam around in Paris, before leave France early tomorrow. First on our agenda was the Notre-Dame de Paris on the Île de la Cité...

We reached the Notre-Dame quite early to head to the famed towers of the cathedral...

Our Paris Pass gave us a free entry into the towers, but we were shocked to see the serpentine lines to get in. Determined to visit the towers, we got into the line and reserved our space...

While I waited in the line, Neeti went to the souvenir shops across the road to check out some souvenirs. I definitely wanted to have a model of the The Thinking Man and The Kiss that I had seen earlier at the Musée Rodin...

The gates on the side, right next to which had lined up. I was amazed at the intricate and detailed carvings...

And the iconic gargoyles the Notre Dame were built in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc...

Now, they are some of the most recognised symbols of the cathedral, however, the original purpose of the gargoyles was for draining water, preventing water damage...

The gargoyles extend far out of the wall built right over the gutters, with big round holes as mouths, to drain water away from the sides of the building...

And we gently move ahead. The Danish family behind us predicted it would take over 90 minutes before we got in. That was enough time for Neeti to engage in retail therapy, to pick up some gifts for family...

And that gave us sufficient time to pick up a warm snack - a crepe with hot tea, as it was really cold...

Notre-Dame de Paris is a very old structure, it is over 800 years old! A bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, in 1160, decided that Paris deserved a cathedral that was worthy of France’s capital largest city. He wanted to build it in the style in vogue then, now known as the Gothic style. King Louis VII, who was one of the bishop's classmates, liked the idea and encouraged the project.

The Church, notable residents of the city, and the entire population participated in construction. It was a collaborative effort - some people money, labour or knowledge.

Construction began in 1163, and Notre-Dame took about 100 years to complete in 1272. Many craftsmen’s guilds (tailors, sculptors, carpenters, joiners, masons, and glassblowers) worked hard and continuously under the supervision of seasoned architects. Thereafter some remodelling work continued well into the 1300s.

Reached the head of the line. To ensure there isn't too much pressure on the towers, limited number of visitors are let in at a given point of time...

The cathedral suffered damage when in 1548, rioting Huguenots damaged features of Notre-Dame, considering them idolatrous. During the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, the cathedral underwent major repairs and alterations to modernize it.

However, the cathedral was again vandalized when a colossal statue of St. Christopher, standing against a pillar near the western entrance and dating from 1413, was destroyed in 1786. Other acts of vandalism left the tombs and stained glass windows destroyed.

In 1793, during the French Revolution, the cathedral was rededicated to the Cult of Reason - religion designed to replace Christianity, and then subsequently to the Cult of the Supreme Being, which was named as the new state religion. At this time, many treasures of the cathedral were destroyed and plundered. Then the cathedral served as a warehouse for the storage of food.

The 1800s saw an extensive restoration programme being carried out on the cathedral. The programme was initiated in 1845, by two architects Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The restoration lasted 25 years and included a taller and more ornate reconstruction of the flèche or of spire.

The Notre-Dame we see today, is as almost the way it was restored in 1845. Though the cathedral did suffer some damage during the two world wars, it was again restored to its original shape. It is however a different question whether the restoration of 1845 was in consonance to the original design, that is a matter of speculation today.

The Tricolore in the distance...

And we would be let in, in a few moments...

Whoa... what a hairdo...

At the reception and ticket counter hall on the second floor...

A narrow staircase leads to the top of the tower...

The chimera, added by Viollet-le-Duc, were intended to be a purely decorative element. These mythical creatures sit on a ledge as though surveying the people of Paris below. The significance of these creatures and the gargoyles is left to much speculation...

Da Vinci Code fanatics and conspiracy theorists do believe there is some secret symbolic connection between these chimeras and gargoyles and the minds of medieval masons. For instance, the enduring speculation on the existence of the Priory of Sion and the fact that these figures find a mention in The Hunchback of Notre Dame makes it a bit murkier. The author Victor Hugo is speculated to be a member of the Priory...

A panorama of Île de la Cité and beyond that, the other arrondissements of Paris...

Long queues to enter the Notre-Dame...

The Latin Quarter and the Tour Montparnasse in the distance...

The Seine...

On guard...

...against what?

There is a certain mysteriousness behind these figures...

The spire...

The biggest bell, Emmanuel...

The Notre-Dame Cathedral has 10 bells, from Emmanuel to Marie, Gabriel and Étienne, ranging from 13,271kg to 782kg. The biggest and oldest, Emmanuel sits in the southern tower and has been a part of the building since 1681. Emmanuel rings on the hour, every hour and for special occasions and celebrations. Historically, in 1944, Emmanuel was rung in celebration and triumph by French troops and allies to announce to the city that it was on its way to liberation...