Royal imagery at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame is expressed through the depiction of French kings on the Virgin Portal and the Porte-Rouge, representations of biblical kings, and items given by kings. Furthermore, the actual kings’ visits at Notre-Dame for holidays, and weddings along with coronations of kings at Notre-Dame, celebrations in honor of kings and ecclesiastical receptions represent royal presence at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.
Notre-Dame’s colossal size reflects the substantial growth of Paris during the twelfth century as well as the city’s progress as a major commercial and intellectual center, and as the chief residence and administrative center of the kings of France. Located on the east end of the Ile-de-la-Cité, the cathedral faced the royal palace, and held an extensive and close association with the royal family. This intimate association is evident through Louis VII’s comment when he left for the Second Crusade in 1147 that the Cathedral of Notre-Dame was honored even more due to its close relationship to the Crown. Another example is when Philip Augustus instructed before leaving on his crusade in 1190 that the dean and chapter should oversee the construction of the cathedral in case the bishop dies because Notre-Dame had obtained Philip’s adoration. Taller, longer, and wider than any other Gothic church before it, Notre-Dame integrated numerous structural and technical advances; the four-story elevation with oculi in the third story was unique at the time of its design, and the flying buttresses of the nave of have been regarded as the first in Gothic architecture. Caroline Bruzelius argues that the nave was well underway while the upper stories of the choir were being completed, and that the design of the choir was refined in the upper stories. Not only was the workshop at Notre-Dame considerably expanded during the first decade of construction, but changes in style may also have been motivated more by the search for an idiom relevant to the new monumental proportions of the cylindrical supports than by a modification in the leadership of the workshop. The construction of Notre-Dame in Paris continued with considerable acceleration, and large numbers of masons and sculptors were employed at the site. At the same time, there is the possibility that two distinct groups of masons worked simultaneously on separate sides of the cathedral. The only serious interruption of construction occurred when work reached the top of the rose window in the west façade that was extended due to the remodeling of the flying buttresses and upper walls throughout Notre-Dame.
The cathedral of Notre-Dame with its monumental size and innovative architectural elements also included royal imagery. One such royal figure who is represented at Notre-Dame is Philip Augustus (1165-1223). This king is connected to the cathedral though his first wife, Isabella of Hainault (1170-1190) buried at Notre-Dame, Philip’s own anniversary commemorated by chapter at the high altar, and, most importantly, his image on the Virgin Portal above the left doorway in the west façade. Of the thirteenth century sculptures in the three west doorways of Notre-Dame, Marcel Aubert has concluded that those represented on the left Virgin Portal are the earliest and has dated them between 1210 and 1220. The outermost statue in the left embrasure of the Virgin Portal portrays a king that has been restored as Constantine, but in a document written by the canons of Notre-Dame in 1410 its referred to as Philip Augustus, or, as the canons chose to call him, “Philippe le Conquérant.” King Philip was honored through his image on the Virgin Portal because in 1218 he had donated relics to Notre-Dame. The document written by the canons states that the statue represents the king as a youth, since he had been crowned at the early age of fourteen. William Hinkle argues that the image of Philip Augustus is placed near St. Denis in the portal dedicated to the Virgin Mary because when Philip was young, he became lost during a hunt at Compiègne. The young prince was fearful of his life, thus, he commended himself to Christ, the Virgin Mary and St. Denis. Then, a common charcoal burner suddenly appeared and led Philip back to the safety of the royal castle, thus, the statue of Philip Augustus was placed near the two saints who had been responsible for his miraculous rescue in the forest.
In addition, to the image of Philip Augustus on the Virgin Portal, Notre-Dame includes a representation of King Louis IX (1214-1270) and Queen Marguerite of Provence (1221-1295) that is also another illustration of royal imagery at Notre-Dame. Between Louis IX’s return from his first crusade in 1254 and his departure in 1270 on his second crusade, the canons of the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris engaged in a colossal reconstruction of the east end of the church. The reconstruction comprised of the insertion of small private doorway called the Porte Rouge, which allowed the canons direct entry into the choir for the performance of the liturgy and the sacraments. The Porte Rouge is decorated with a rendering of the Coronation of the Virgin, one of the most popular themes in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and undoubtedly suitable for a cathedral and a chapter dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The canons also chose to incorporate representations of King Louis IX and Queen Marguerite of Provence kneeling as patrons and supplicants to the crowned queen of heaven. The practice of representing a reigning king in this type of monumental sculpture was uncommon at this time. M. Cecilia Gaposchkin argues that the Porte Rouge represents an attempt on the part of the cathedral’s chapter to claim the image of royal patronage in a time of strained relations, and by depicting the king and queen as humble figures, to present a perception of the ideal and proper relationship between the church and the monarchy. However, the figures do not display the object of their donations, but instead they offer their prayer and worship. In portal sculpture, the kneeling figure with hands clasped in prayer first appeared, not in the portrayals of donors, but in representations of Mary and John the Baptist flanking Christ enthroned. The form was most likely then taken from rituals of worship during the twelfth century. In addition, the kneeling pose implies an act of prayer for salvation. The image on the Porte Rouge would have been seen by the canons as an image of the king’s spiritual support and prayer, most certainly of his servitude to Mary and in turn to the cathedral which sustain her image and name. Even though the canons were the only ones with access into Notre-Dame through the Porte Rouge, other viewers may seen the tympanum when walking around the cathedral. Spectators would have also seen an ideal image of a king and queen humbling themselves in praying to the Virgin, thus, the audience does not make a difference in what is shown on the door.
Not only does Notre-Dame integrate royal imagery through the representations of Philip Augustus, Isabelle of Hainault, Louis IX, and Queen Marguerite of Provence, but also by possessing an object proclaiming a ruler’s sovereignty. For instance, 1699 witnessed the beginning of major changes in the cathedral, undertaken in fulfillment of the vow of Louis XIII (1601-1643). One such change was the construction of a new altar where the first stone was laid during a grand ceremony by the Archbishop. The foundation slab was inscribed: “Louis the Great…after he had suppressed heresy, established the true faith in his kingdom, … wishing to accomplish the vow of his father, built this altar in the cathedral church of Paris, dedicating it to to the God of Arms, Master of Peace and Victory, under the invocation of the Virgin, patron and protector of his State. A.D. 1699.” This inscription not only represents an image of Louis XIII, but also the King’s sincerity towards this cathedral through him fulf
illing a promise made by his father. The relation between Louis XIII and the Virgin is similar to the relation between Philip Augustus, Louis IX, and the Virgin through the loyalty of all three kings to the Virgin represented through artistic images. In contrast, the sculptures of Philip Augustus and Louis IX depict the two kings’ with the Virgin Mary, whereas, the inscription discussing Louis XIII has no image of the king with the Virgin, but states that the Virgin has given him authority to build the altar. Notre-Dame cathedral also integrates royal imagery through possessing a special item unique to the cathedral sponsored by royalty. This is evident in the great bell of Notre-Dame that was christened Emmanuel Louis Thérèse, and sponsored by Louis XIV (1638-1715) and Queen Maria Theresa of Spain (1638-1683).
Royal imagery at Notre-Dame Cathedral does not only encompass representations of French, but also biblical kings, such as King David and the Kings of Judah. When comparing the representations of Louis IX and Philip Augustus to the depictions of the biblical kings, it’s apparent that French kings were seen as humble rulers faithful to the Virgin while the King David and the Kings of Judah are viewed as historical figures before the Virgin’s time. The French kings are also shown to have a responsibility to the Virgin Mary, whereas, the biblical kings had more of a responsibility to God. Thus, by incorporating the representations of Louis IX, Philip Augustus, and the biblical kings, it’s possible to understand the nuances of the representations of royalty at Notre-Dame Cathedral. King David was represented through sculpture on the Saint Anne portal that is the right-hand entrance on the west façade. Construction on the portal began before 1170, about the same time as the choir of the cathedral, under the direction of Maurice de Sully who became bishop of Paris in 1160. Despite the damages Notre-Dame suffered during the French Revolution in the late eighteenth-century, one extraordinary life-size limestone head has survived; a head from the twelfth-century statue of King David which stood on the south side of the portal until the French Revolution. A few pieces of drapery now in the Cluny Museum in Paris are the only other portions of the eight large, standing figures from the jambs of this portal that are known to have survived. The head bears flat features, arched eyebrows, and lost the fleurons of the crown and the eyeballs, which were probably made of lead. The traces of paint and gilding which remain on the head suggest that the sculpture of Notre-Dame was originally polychromed.
Another example of royal imagery at Notre-Dame that depicts biblical royalty are the Kings of Judah statues that originally adorned the second story of the western façade from approximately 1240 to 1792, when they were forcibly removed during the French Revolution. Their remains were grouped together in the parvis of Notre-Dame until 1796, when a building contractor removed them. The group of sculptures was scattered among different locations in Paris, although their locations went entirely undocumented at the time. It was not until about forty years later that fragments of the statues began to appear. The statues of the Kings of Judah were sculpted in a fine limestone and traces of polychromy can be viewed. One of the heads is of a bearded man with the top of the head missing, and the nose and right eye damaged. Another head represents another bearded man and most of the face is damaged. The other heads are even more damaged, but those with the bottom part of their faces surviving, have beards. The statues of the Kings of Judah and the head of King David are similar in both the rendering of the facial hair and the crowns the figures adorn. Furthermore, individual facial hairs on all the statues are depicted through thin sculpted lines on the beards, and each of the crowns have simple geometric shapes around the entire crown.
Notre-Dame Cathedral’s intimate relationship with the French monarchy is thoroughly symbolized by the royal imagery as well as the accounts of royal presence at the cathedral. French kings historically maintained this special association with Notre-Dame by visiting the cathedral on the first Sunday in Advent and receiving communion from the bishop on Easter Sunday, and it was Philip IV (1268-1314) who intensified Notre-Dame’s use as a public stage. In addition, as a prince, he may have married Jeanne de Navarre in the cathedral, and it is possible that he stopped at Notre-Dame on his entry into Paris on January 6, 1286 after his coronation at Reims. Moreover, the king rode fully armed into the cathedral in 1304 to give thanks to the Virgin after his victory at Mons-en-Pevèle. Philip IV also spent time at Notre-Dame by attending a vigil held at the cathedral on June 2-3, 1313, the night before the inauguration of the new royal palace and the knighting of the king’s three sons. Additionally, Philip spent the second-to-last night of his reign, December 1, 1314, lying in glory at the cathedral.
The next example of royal presence at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame was when a thanksgiving service was held to celebrate Charles VI (1368-1422) being saved from burning. The King was dressed as a satyr at a palace fête with five companions. The Duke of Orleans was curious as to the identities of the disguised men, and approached them with a torch, accidentally setting their clothing on fire. The King was saved by the Duchess de Berri, who threw a cloak over him, but four of his companions were burned to death. Another instance is when Henry V of England (1387-1422) visited Notre-Dame. Henry V became Regent of France with the right of succession to the throne, and after his marriage in 1420 with Catherine, daughter of Charles VI, he paid a ceremonious visit to Notre-Dame. In addition, after Henry passed away, his son, Henry VI, was crowned King of France in Notre-Dame. When the English were driven from Rouen, a large service of thanksgiving was hosted in Notre-Dame to commemorate the arrival of Charles VIII (1470-1498). Amongst the most interesting of the historic events which took place in Notre-Dame on were the marriages of Louis XII with Henry VIII of England’s sister, Mary Tudor, in October 1514, and Mary Stuart to the Dauphin of France in April 1558. The marriage of Henri, King of Navarre, with Marguerite de Valois, took place at the cathedral’s entrance in August 1572.
Royal presence at the cathedral of Notre-Dame did not always include the company of living royalty. For instance, in the old floor, the tombstones of the following could be observed: Philippe, the son of Louis VI and Archdeacon of Paris, who died in 1161; Prince Geoffrey of England who died in 1186; Queen Isabelle of Hainault, perished in 1189; the dauphin, Louis who was the son of Charles VI and passed in 1415; Louis XIII who died in 1643. Despite this, there was a statue that commemorated a unique occurrence of royal presence at Notre-Dame. The statue was a well-known equestrian sculpture that portrayed Philip VI (1293-1350) of Valois who defeated the Flemings at Cassel. This statue not only commemorated this victory but also the event of Philip VI returning to Paris from Cassel in 1328, riding into Notre-Dame on horseback, and pledging his harness to the Virgin Mary. It’s possible that this equestrian statue alluded to Philip IV riding on horseback into Notre-Dame, however, there is no evidence that this is true. Unfortunately, the French Revolution caused the destruction of this work that commemorated a memorial royal appearance.
The ecclesiastical ceremonies held at Notre-Dame Cathedral also represent royal presence through numerous French kings celebrating their coronations. Henry IV and Louis XVIII, along with many other kings, were crowned at Reims, but it was customary for the newly crowned sovereigns to go to Notre-Dame in Paris to return thanks for their advent to the throne. Regrettably, an insufficient amount of details
about ecclesiastical ceremonies to celebrate a king’s entry into Paris is available for the years before 1350. Despite this, it is known that a decade later, in the process of the lavish post-coronation reception that the Parisians gave Philip VI on July 22, 1328, the new king visited the cathedral of Notre-Dame, and left Paris shortly thereafter to lead his armies against the rebelling Flemish cities. On September 29, the Parisians planned a triumphal reception for him upon his return from the victory at Cassals, and Philip entered from the basilica of Saint Denis. The streets were decorated, musicians played music, and Philip’s soldiers paraded Flemish hostages.
Another ecclesiastical ceremony is John II’s entry to Notre-Dame on October 7, 1350 that was noted as traditional and obligatory. Up to that time records had detailed entries simply as a return to Paris or a reception at Paris. The 1350 program at the entrance to Notre-Dame had already assumed much of the form that would prevail until the reign of Louis XIV. The archbishop of Sens greeted the king and required that he take the oath to always defend his people which his predecessors have always taken. The king would cite the oath, bow before the cross, kiss the scriptures, and repeat the oath. The archbishop characterized these acts and gestures to form the ecclesiastical ceremony for a king’s arrival. Many princes, barons, dukes, counts, and other nobles as well as peasants viewed the ceremony. Religious ceremonies continued in the cathedral, however, the judicial reception of the king in front of Notre-Dame, emphasizing his duty to maintain right law or custom and to conserve the church, was the main component of the performance.
Until the fifteenth century, the prelates and other clergy continued to take part in receptions for new kings but only in front of the doors of Notre-Dame. They did not leave the church altogether in processions to greet the king until the 1437 entry of Charles VII. In this entry as well as the entries of Louis XIV (1461), Charles VIII (1484), Louis XII (1498), and several queens in this period, the clergy led the Parisian processions to welcome the ruler, and then returned to Notre-Dame to receive the king’s oath in the west façade. Once the secular and ecclesiastical procession to receive the king had merged, the significance of the oath that he proclaimed in front of the cathedral diminished, so that by Henry II’s reign, the program book simply recorded the king’s visit to Notre-Dame as being a royal favor in honor of a good and commendable ensemble. Louis XIII made his initial arrival at Notre-Dame on May 20, 1610, six days after his father’s assassination and two months before his coronation. Also, Louis XIV made his on May 15, 1643, the day after his father’s death, clearly turning his entry into a preliminary public celebration of his accession to the throne. Entry visits to Notre-Dame thereby lost all association with constitutional principles and solely came to demonstrate the king’s devotion.