When Notre Dame was constructed in the 12th century, the cathedral was slightly smaller than what we see today. The nave chapels weren’t part of the original plan and were later added with the encouragement and deep pockets of the local guilds and wealthy families.
Just as the western facade was complete, the clergy wanted the transept altered, especially the outer facades to complement the highly detailed front. The northern side was more open to view and was the first on the list. Jean de Chelles, the first of the named architects, planned to include a larger rose window and door between two Gothic decorative arches.
De Chelles devised the initial plans for the south facade, which began in 1257 and was carried out after his death by Pierre de Montreuil. The south transept exterior has more delicate features, which added to issues that would have to be resolved numerous times in the following centuries.
The first version of Notre Dame was very dark. In the 1250s, under Jean de Chelles, the two large rose windows became the most dominant features of the transept facades. Other than the rose windows, we know little about the Medieval windows.
View of South Transept
The 12th-century windows were mainly donations from other churches. Abbot Suger donated a window of the Triumph of the Virgin. In the north transept, a grissale window with scroll work covered in plaster was discovered, and it is believed to be dated to the late 12th century.
A Gothic cathedral is all about light, giving the appearance of lightness, and capturing the Divine light. The use of stained glass in churches began in the 12th century, and it helped tell the stories and lessons of the scriptures. All one has to do is look up at the windows on a beautiful sunny day to see the colors paint the blonde walls of Notre Dame to see this effect in all its glory.
In the Middle Ages, glass was never white but had more of a green and pink tinge. Next came the grissale glass, which allowed the light to go through, with a filter and varied tone, giving them life and light.
The colors changed over time. In the 12th century, many of the striking colors we see today weren’t available in early glass. Yellow was used for gold, which wasn’t available for the next few hundred years. Cobalt blue, a mainstay and the color of the Virgin, was used prominently until the 13th century, when Manganese blue was a less expensive and more vibrant color.
Over time, the stained glass windows fell out of favor until Viollet-le-Duc took on the task of the most extensive restoration in Notre Dame’s history and returned color to the cathedral once again.
The stained glass windows of medieval Notre Dame were removed entirely under Louis XV and replaced with clear glass, except for the rose windows. Those changes were then again erased under Viollet-le-Duc. Not much is known of the original 110 windows except for the writing of Pierre Le Vieil, who was also a glazier in 1774.
Viollet-le-Duc’s wish was to return Notre Dame to the art and color of the Middle Ages. The time when color was used on the walls and statues, before the stained glass became all the rage. Tapping the greatest glaziers and glass painters of the time, the stained glass of Notre Dame has been used as the pinnacle of decorative glass for many churches including similar windows in the Eglise Saint Germain des Prés.
The transept rose windows.
The first rose window appeared in the Basilique Saint Denis, north of Paris around 1130 and commissioned by Abbot Suger. We don’t know the names of the first architects of Notre Dame in the 12th century but the names begin to emerge with Jehan de Chelles who was tasked with making the transept bigger then adding the rose windows allowing the Divine Light to enter the cathedral.
It was in the year 1245 that De Chelles began the north window featuring sixteen petals and eight six windows relating to the Old Testament. In the center the Virgin sits with the Christ child on her lap. De Chelles used figures of the Old Testament including the prophets, Kings of Judah and Israel, judges, priests and patriarchs. Each with their head turned towards the Virgin they hold a scroll with their name. Only a handful of figures used and differentiated by their attributes and banner.
The windows of the north side of the cathedral incorporate cool colors. The blue, greens and violet colors give more depth to the windows that are not lit by direct sun giving a depthness to the rose that is somewhat hard to see from the ground. The north window for the most part is filled with the original 13th century glass but there are a few additions added in the 18th century. Adolphe Napoléon Didron and Édoard Amédée replaced three windows with the Pharaoh's Dream of Joseph into the second layer and two medallions in the lower corners.
With the western rose window at the entrance these two windows hold the largest amount of the original glass. The south rose window is another story, a tale of many chapters.
The south rose was installed last, of the three. Beginning in 1258, the twelve spoke rose focused on the New Testament. De Chelles began the window and was finished by Pierre de Montreuil in 1270. In the center is Christ in majesty after his death. The four petal center also features the figure of each of the evangelists. The eagle of Jean, a young man of Matthew, lion of Marc and ox of Luc. Difficult to see from the floor of the cathedral.
Surrounding Christ posing against a blue background are seated apostles. The next layer are twenty four medallions of martyrs and confessors against red backgrounds. The third circle is doubled and the smaller glass windows are of standing female figures. Some stand in front of architectural arches and represent martyrs, wise virgins and foolish virgins. The trefoils around the edge include angels, some holding crowns or candles.
A quick glance from the center of the transept of the church at each window a clear differentiation can be seen. The north window includes eighty one windows, while the south has eighty five. The two roses on close inspection are quite different. The south is more compact in size and the windows are smaller although the circumference of the two windows are the same.
The south window has gone through many changes and restorations and the glass spans four periods of time.
Guillaume Brice in 1727 replaced a few of the 13th century windows into the second and outer ring including the Flight into Egypt, Judgment of Solomon and Annunciation. It is at this time that eight windows of the Life of Matthew were added dating to 1180, making them the oldest known in the Cathedral.
North Rose Window
The wall of the south transept like the north was built in the mid 13th century, although the structure of the south wall had to be rebuilt and restored a few times. While Louis XIV carried out a complete change of the choir, it’s his grandson Louis XV that left his mark on the windows. With the urging and funds of Cardinal Noailles in 1727 & 1728 the rose window was removed and the casings reinforced. This made it the perfect time for Noailles to add his crest into the center of the window replacing the 13th century Christ.
Enter Viollet-le-Duc and his overall inspection of the cathedral which revealed just how damaged the south window was. The metal casings of each petal had bowed out and the glass was close to falling and had even broken in spots.
The only answer was to remove all the glass, destroy the casings and rebuild the window. Viollet-le-Duc shifted the window to the right one petal creating a straight horizontal and vertical center. Eight of the windows were removed and replaced with new windows that matched the same figures. Two of the 13th century windows can now be seen in the Chapel Saint Guillaume in the southern chevet just steps away.
It was at this time that Viollet-Duc had the master glassmaker Alfred Gérente remove the central window of Noailles and create the window of Christ and the four evangelists.
In 1856 a special commission was created to study the glass and colors of Notre Dame with Viollet-le-Duc. Hippolyte Flandrin that would cover the Eglise Saint Germain des Pres in color as well as his rival Eugene Delacroix and Victor Regnault of the Sèvres atelier, three men that really knew something about the use of color. Judging the early windows Viollet-le-Duc created and giving them the nod of approval.
Just below each of the rose windows of the transepts are the galleries created under Alfred Gérente and a new addition in 1862. The south transept includes prophets with the four central holding up each of the evangelists. Isaiah with Saint Matthew, Jeremiah holding up Saint Luke, Ezekiel and Saint Jean and Daniel with Saint Mark.
The north gallery finished in 1865 of the eighteen kings of Judah standing in front of a 13th century grisaille. The kings are also found on the facade, but that’s a story for another day.