Paris, France

I'll admit, I cried when I heard that Notre Dame was on fire on April 15th, 2019.  I was driving home from a show in Houston that day, so I wasn't on the internet or social media until late evening.  I just remember staring in horror at the photos and videos of the spire engulfed in flames.

The photo used for this design was taken more than a decade before the fire.  There was a mass going on while we were inside the cathedral, and I remember feeling very uncomfortable that I was was wondering around like a tourist while people were attending services.

I think I am more fascinated by the outside of Notre Dame.  All of those Gothic details, and those flying buttresses just make me swoon!

Fun Facts:

• Built between 1163 and 1345
• Napoleon was crowned Emperor here in 1804
• Home to the crown of thorns and the tunic of St. Louis
• The 2 towers on the facade were supposed to have spires that were never added
• The famous flying buttress supports were not part of the original plans, but were added to support the walls of the nave when they developed stress fractures from the weight of the vault
• The 3 rose windows still retain their original 13th century glass
• There are many carved stone grotesques on the outside of Notre Dame.  The gargoyles are grotesques that act as rain spouts, and the chimera are the other creatures that do not redirect rain water