Notre Dame Memories

As I write this, there is a vertical stick of incense burning between me and the monitor. For a second, a long ash tilts to one side, pauses then drops to the dish below. In my mind’s eye, I see Notre Dame’s central steeple tilt and fall into the flames again.

Notre Dame in the Spring (30 April 2006)

The Cathedral of Notre Dame is on City Island, literally the center of Paris. Celtic tribes settled the island in the 3rd century BC and over the centuries, the city’s neighborhoods and districts spiraled out from there.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Interior (29 April 2006)

Many people have waxed poetic and nostalgic about this iconic church since the devastating fire on April 15. I am fortunate to have been to Paris and the magnificent cathedral twice, April 2006 and December 2009. I offer up a few images in remembrance of what was and hope will one day be again. Remember, you can fill the screen with an image if you click on it.

Notre Dame Cathedral, West Façade, Detail (29 April 2006)

Above the three portals are 28 statues of the Kings of Judah and the famous Rose Window.

Detail, Portal of the Last Judgment,

Notre Dame Cathedral (26 December 2009)

The Central doorway into the church has two lintels or horizontal supports over the doors. The upper lintel is a frieze that depicts the Archangel Michael weighing the souls of the dead. The ones to the left have passed the test and look upward toward heaven. You can guess where the unhappy souls on the right are headed.

Notre Dame Cathedral at Christmas Time (26 December 2009)

Notre Dame Cathedral (26 December 2009)

The Faithful Light Their Candles

Notre Dame Cathedral (29 April 2006)