y piers to receive vaulting ribs, capitals ornamented with crockets, and windows of restricted size,” (Laing 4).
The building of Notre Dame occurred between 1160-1225, as already noted, and, as also mentioned, it was ordered under the authority of Bishop Maurice de Sully. Of course, it was the Roman Catholic Church that deemed the building necessary and, unlike Romanesque houses of worship, Notre Dame was to be massive in order to handle the higher levels of urban congestion during the medieval period in France. Stone and mortar, wood, and glass are the main materials used in the construction of Notre Dame. English forests were a rich source of wood and stone masonry had become more developed, especially among the guilds. Large glass surface areas are supported by seemingly fragile carved stone tracery and elaborate stone support systems are used to hold the large glass windows. The finish
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