The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-06-23

that here on the altar before me, 'wher
for ages the Holy Sacrifice of the Mas
: had been offered up, the Revolution
lists had enthroned Reason" in thu
person of a notorious prostitute.
On the 18th of May, 1894, the church
was closed as a place of divine worship
and remained so until it was reopened
by Napoleon eight years later.
Seventy years after, horde of mad
dened, frenzied Communists again des-
ecrated Notre Dame. It's treasury, rich
in sacred vessels, was rifled and the
E edifice itself was used IS a military de-
pot, in much the same manner as that
in which the United States troops are
occupying places of divine worship in
the Philippines at the present time. AT
last. when the Versailles troops entered
Paris VIGOROUSLY, the insurgents, Civ
ing way before them, set fire to Notre
Dame, but fortunately little damage
was done.
Volumes might be written on the in
teresting history which attaches to the
Cathedral of Notre Dame, but limited
time and space prevent me from doing
more than indicating the most import
ant incidents and a brief description
of the building and it's sacred treas
ures.
The facade of Notre Dame is the
earliest of it's kind and was erected in
! the beginning of the thirteenth century.
| 1t is divided into three vertical sec
lions by plain buttresses, and consists
of three STORIES exclusive of the Tow
ers. The three large recessed portals
are adorned with sculptures, which, so
far as they have survived the ravages
of the revolution, are fine specimens of
early Gothic workmanship. Those on
the central portal represent The last
judgment. The portal on the right is
dedicated to st. Anne, and that on the
left to the Blessed Virgin. The relief, |
representing the burial of the Blessed |
Virgin, is noteworthy. This story is |
connected with the one above it by the |
Gallerie des Rois, a series OF inches. |
containing modern statues of twenty |
eight French kings, replacing those de-
stroyed in the French revolution. Above
the gallery in the center rises the
statue of the Blessed Virgin, with two
angels bearing torches, to the right
and left of which are figures of Adam
and Eve. The center of the second
story is occupied by large rose win
dow forty-two feet in diameter, with
the simple tracery of the carly Gothic
style. AT the sides are double pointed
The third story is a gallery
composed of pointed arches in pairs
twenty-six feet in height, borne by
very slender columns, each double arch
being crowned with an open trefoil.
Above this gallery runs a balustrade
with figures of monsters
and animals, and the facade then ter
inmates in two uncompleted square {
towers, each pierced by a pair of point
I'd windows fifty-four feet in height. '
The south door of the transept is en- !
oellished with fine iron work, restored a
~ Boulanger. The spire above the q
ross IA feet in height, was erected I
n 1859 t
The church, which consists of a niave V
md double aisles, crossed by a single c
ransept, is All feet long and 156 feet o
road. The double aisles are continued a
Lround the choir, affording the earli- a
st examples of this construction. As t
n most of the early Gothic churches
he choir is circular in form. The t
hapels introduced into the spaces be- i:
Ween the buttresseS of the aisles and t
hoir are in late Gothic style. The S
aulting, ITO feet high, in the niave, is C
orne by seventy-five pillars, many of n
1hich, unlike those in other Gothic il
are round. Above the inner c
isles runs a triforum, borne by 10S n
mall columns. and the clerestory is o.
ierced by thirty seven large windows. e.
he ancient stained glass of the roses Z
yer the principal and lateral portals
) worthy of the closest inspection. To p
he right of the south portal are two n
larble slabs in memory of seventy-five a
ictims of the commune. The organ N
as built in 1850, and restored and en- ii
Urged in 1868. 1t is a fine instrument &c
18th 5,246 pipes and eighty-six stops .,
he pulpit is masterpiece of modern h,
God carving. 1t was designed by Vio- q;
t lie Duo and executed by Mergen. d.
The choir and sanctuary both are sep a,
rated from the ambulatory and the II
lave by very handsome ratings. The II
loir stalls and the reliefs in wood di
present scenes from the history of
UT Saviour and the Blessed Virgin. A
| the sanctuary, to the right and the til
TT, are statues of Louis XIII and b
outs XIV. HI
The choir chapels contain a number fiji
monuments of former Archbishops la
Paris, from Cardinal Noilles, who OF
ed in 1929, down to the lamented to
Darboy, who was sacrificed Sc
: the fiends of the Commune in 1871. WI
he wall outside the enclosure oe the nc
loir is adorned with twenty three re- a
ifs in stone, representing scenes in WI
e life of Our Savior, which were SO
mpleted in 1851. in
We next pass into the new Sacristy. tn
ected in 1S464S by Violet lie Due. in Tr
e same style as the Cathedral. This fol
cristy contains thousands of objects lat
far more than passing interest; in isl
ed l may say that to priest they are alb
absorbing and intense interest. The sol
stments of all colors surpass in royal ar,
anything which l had ever
en-. There are twenty sets of each !
Tor, many of them embroidered in
Id, silver, jewels and silk. Among A
I'm were vestments presented to
tire Dame by former kings and