Design of Notre-Dame de Paris

Dear Patron,

In the fourth century, Emperor Constantine declared that Christianity would be tolerated and it was recognized as the official religion in Rome at the end of the century. As a result, a large number of Christian communities and architectures were established. At that time, some cities were expanded to include some fantastic public buildings. For example, Paris decided to develop a garrison town on the Ile de la Cité, since two arms of the Seine River already surrounded the island. In the sixth century, the Parisians built a cathedral in the town on the southwest bank of Ile de la Cité. Since the cathedral was old and small, I would like to build a new one to replace it. The new cathedral, named Notre-Dame de Paris, is designated to commemorate the Virgin Mary. This is a massive project because we need to expand the space for the Rue Neuve Notre-Dame, which will be a major street in Paris. Additionally, the Hôtel Dieu has to be relocated to the southwest of the old Roman wall with a new bishop’s palace in the south and a new choir in the east. The building is mainly composed of two towers facing the west side; a nave in the center, two transepts each facing north and south; and an apse on the east.

The geometric structure and exterior design of Notre-dame de Paris is unbeatable. The west facade contains three concave portals with elaborate sculptural figures located on the first level. Trumeau, a central column in the middle, divides each of the entrances evenly into two sub gates. Right above these entrances from the exterior view, a wide alignment of figures define the boundary between the first and the second floor. On the second level, a huge round rose window will accompany two double arcade tribunes on each side. Located under two towers on the very top of the west facade, there is a level of high galleries, which creates a symbolic representation of the Notre-Dame de Paris. The proportion of west facade equals the golden ratio, making the...