Later Gothic Cathedrals in France 

Notre Dame, Paris, remodeled after 1225

The cathedral of Notre Dame (literally "Our Lady") in Paris is located on an island in the Seine river and thus is very easily viewed.  Here, we see a the church from the south side.  Notice that the transept no longer "sticks out," so to speak.  Also, unlike the Romanesque churches, the chapels are fully incorporated in the body of the architecture.  Thus, we cannot read the parts of the church from the exterior, as we were able to do with the church of St. Sernin at Toulouse, for example.  The exterior walls are almost nonexistent due to extensive use of stained glass.  The flying buttresses are lacy and much larger.  

Notre Dame, Paris, front façade

Notre Dame also features an enlarged rose window.  The screen is enlarged and lacy.  Also noted the gallery of kings above the portals.  The buttresses are much lighter and the portals more emphasized.

Reims Cathedral, Reims, France, ca 1225-1290

The cathedral of Reims represented the fully ripened Gothic style.  Beginning with Clovis, king of the Franks, the church at Reims had been used for coronations; that church had been destroyed by fire in 1211 and was rebuilt as the Gothic cathedral seen here.  This is where the Kings of France were crowned — they were buried at St. Denis.  Compare this church with Chartres and Notre Dame in Paris -- it should be easy to see that the Gothic style became lacier and lighter over time.

The Visitation, Reims Cathedral, Reims, France, ca 1225-1290

The two sculptures here, Saint Elizabeth and the Virgin Mary, are jamb statues in the central doorway at Reims.   The Visitation refers to the moment a specific encounter between Elizabeth and Mary.  At this point, Mary has learned from the Angel Gabriel that she is pregnant with the Christ Child.  Likewise, Elizabeth, who was old and barren, has learned that she was pregnant with John the Baptist.  Here the two women greet each other and share the good news.  The figures turns towards each other.  There is more elaborate drapery, and some art historians believe that the heads were based on Roman models.  Notice how different these are than the jamb figures at Chartres -- and that they do suggest a growing interest in naturalism in the art patronized by the church. 

During the heyday of the French Gothic cathedral, the goal was to make these buildings larger and larger — pushing the pointed arch to its structural limits.  This effort culminated with the Beauvais Cathedral, which collapsed!!!  The French began to wonder, are we building these structures too high?  Are we daring God?