Interior Architecture

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The Nave

Reserved for the faithful during services, the nave requires a vast space to accommodate a large number of worshippers. It determines the dimensions of the building. Raised from the ground to the vaults, it forms the central vessel of the building. The construction of the nave of Notre-Dame began in 1182 with four bays. After a pause to build the west facade in 1208, construction resumed in 1218. It consists of ten bays. A bay corresponds to the space between each pillar. The first two bays support the building up to the towers and also serve as a transition after passing through the portal. Pillars, arcades, pilasters, and columns accentuate the effect of verticality. These verticals are broken horizontally by arcades and capitals. This regular rhythm between verticals and horizontals gives the nave great harmony.

The Ambulatory

Around the central space, beyond the row of columns, an area is designed to allow the faithful to walk around. This area is called the ambulatory. Notre-Dame de Paris is characterized by a double row of columns forming the aisles. During an enlargement of the building in the 13th century, chapels were placed around the aisles. These double aisles and the double ambulatory of the choir are a unique example in medieval religious architecture.

The Galleries

The galleries are located above the pillars. They are the same width as the aisles and have paired windows with pointed arches. They are designed to accommodate choristers who sing during services. On the western face, the gallery houses the grand organ.

The Pillars

They resemble the pillars of ancient buildings, round in shape and adorned with Corinthian capitals. In the second row, they alternate between simple pillars and pillars adorned with engaged columns, meaning carved from a single piece of stone. Other engaged columns support the arches of the galleries.

The High Windows

The addition of 13th-century chapels around the nave darkened the interior of the building. However, Gothic architecture is designed to bathe the interior in light. In its first version in the 12th century, the cathedral rose on four levels: large arcades, galleries, roses, and high windows. These roses are still visible on the first bay and at the junction between the transept and the choir. To enhance the entry of light into the building, the high windows were enlarged in the 13th century. Since then, the cathedral has risen on only three levels.

The Vault

The vault rests on ribbed arches. To vault square plan bays, it is necessary to create a vault composed of three ribbed arches. Each bay of the nave is vaulted with sexpartite ribs. A sexpartite vault consists of six parts. The ribbed vault above the transept crossing is an architectural feat with dimensions never before achieved.

The Transept

As in most churches, the cathedral’s plan forms a Latin cross. The transept forms the horizontal arm of the cross. The space at the intersection of the cross is called the transept crossing. This volume is proportional to the dimensions of the cathedral. Liturgical celebrations take place in this space. The two arms of the transept are also called transept arms. In the 13th century, Pierre de Montreuil treated the lower walls like exterior facades, applying a decorative system of arches, gables, and friezes to reinforce the wall. The north rose window has preserved its almost intact original 13th-century stained glass, while the south rose window, offered by Saint Louis, was largely restored in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Choir

The liturgical choir is dedicated to religious ritual. Outside, it corresponds to the apse of the cathedral. Christian churches are oriented east/west. This part faces Jerusalem, the city of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The choir consists of four straight bays closed by a semi-circular apse with five sides. It features the same elevation elements as the nave. It has a double ambulatory like the nave.

The Treasury and Sacristy

The sacristy is a room reserved for the preparation of the service. It houses religious objects: holy books, liturgical vestments, hosts, chalices, monstrances, censers. The sacristy adjoins the choir to allow the clergy to easily move from the preparation area to the service area: the choir.

The treasure of Notre-Dame consists of liturgical elements. At the end of the 18th century, it was one of the most precious in Europe. It completely disappeared during the Revolution. The items were scattered, sometimes reused to create other art or jewelry objects. The treasure was reconstituted after the Concordat, thanks to donations from the Empire, popes, and sovereigns. Since then, it has housed the Passion relics saved from the Sainte-Chapelle, as well as the linen shirt of Saint Louis and his discipline, a flailing object for penance. Again sacked during the 1830 riots, Viollet-le-Duc’s drawings allowed it to be recreated in the mid-19th century. Regularly enriched since the 19th century, its presentation was revamped in 2012.

The Chapels

Twenty-nine chapels added in the 13th century surround the interior of the building. Those placed around the choir are called radiating chapels. Wishing for a regular service given in memory of a deceased person, wealthy families had chapels consecrated in the Middle Ages. To do so, families created a foundation, offered an endowment to a chaplain, and monopolized a dedicated space. The number of foundations thus increased in the 14th century, and so did the chapels. Their decor includes an altar, lighting, statues or paintings, the relics of a patron saint, tombs, and sometimes significant wall decor. Drawings testify to the many elements destroyed during the Revolution.

Several bishops and archbishops of Paris are buried in these chapels. The tomb decoration of Simon Matifas de Bucy, bishop from 1290 to 1304, is the only 13th-century painted vestige that remains in Notre-Dame. Among the many engraved slabs, only that of Canon Étienne Yvert, who died in 1468, remains.

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