Though I'm not religious, I love the cathedrale Notre-Dame. In many ways it is the heart of Paris.
I'll start with these photos I took during my first trip to Paris, in August 2010, because the light was so good (the sun was just about to set):
During the present trip, I had admired the exterior of the cathedral many times, and I'd taken a number of photos, some of which I've already included on this blog, but I had always been reluctant to stand in the long lines snaking through the Place du Parvis Notre-Dame to get inside. Fortunately, there is a pretty easy solution, which is to go early in the morning. I got there about 8 am (not that terribly early), on a Friday, and there were only a few people inside, and no line.*
It was rather dark inside for photography, but I did get a few interior shots:
This is the rose window, facing north (away from the river):
In the back of the cathedral, behind the altar, is this statue which may be somebody's tomb: I was too taken with the lion to pay attention to that detail. While I was looking at it, an employee walked by and briefly rubbed the lion's nose. I assumed this was for good luck, or something else generally positive, so I did the same thing!
Also from behind the altar: the hand of the Pieta (by Nicolas Coustou). (I couldn't get any shots from the front because there was a service going on at that point.)
Along one side was a display of drawings showing stages of construction of the cathedral over the centuries. They are from a 2013 book entitled Notre Dame de Paris: neuf siecles d'histoire, by Sandron and Tallon. I may need to look for it:
Some exterior shots:
Saint Denis, third from left, was famous for picking up his head and walking away with it after being martyred. (He died after walking about 10 kilometers, preaching the whole way.) (According to legend.)
This is a detail of one of the large front doorways:
The two shots below were also taken during our 2010 visit.
I'm not sure who the third figure down is, but I like his balancing act:
And the gargoyles! Useful for water drainage in addition to their decorative and demon-repelling properties:
This was one of my last shots of the cathedral, taken from across the river (near Shakespeare & Company and the adjacent Square Rene Viviani).
*When I returned about three hours later, the snaking line had appeared.
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