ic style was also influenced by trade with the Islamic world and from the experiences of the Crusades. Painting and sculpture were also heavily influence by religious fervor of the period and later English sculpture would be influenced by the fantasies and grotesqueries of the Gothic period. This analysis and discussion will explore one of the most outstanding Cathedrals constructed during the Gothic period, that of Notre Dame.
The background of the Cathedral at Notre Dame encompasses some interesting information. The site on which Notre Dame (transl. Our Lady) stands more than likely housed another church from the Roman period of dominance, but Notre Dame was built there under the authority of Bishop Maurice de Sully, beginning in 1160 and being completed constructed, except for the tower, by 1225 (Laing 4). Less than two decades later, the original layout of the building would be modified by the addition of a series of side chapels that entirely surround the choir and nave. Its west front is a revealing look at classic French Gothic architecture and its stained glass windows are an example of Gothic engineering at its finest. During the 18th century most of its glass and fittings were ordered removed by the church and during the French Revolution the building sustained damage from vandals. The Cathedral was fully restored during the 19th century by the French architect, Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. The tall spire still resting over the crossing is his creation. The 115-feet tall interior is typical of Gothic architecture that evolved the dark, huge Romanesque interior towards the light-filled, soaring Gothic interior that seemed to direct one towards the ultimate pinnacle of the church, the altar. Notre Dame de Paris exemplifies the features that were typical of most Gothic cathedral architecture of the medieval period, “…six-part ribbed vaults, vaulted galleries over side aisles, cylindrical columns alternating with heav...