Booksellers' Staircase - Rouen Cathedral.
Late Gothic staircase by Guillaume Pontis in 1480, under the direction of cardinal and archbishop William Estouteville. Rouen Cathedral.
Architecture
Cathedral Choir Screen
Above the choir screen at Chartres Cathedral are some 40 sculpted reliefs of biblical scenes, and other scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary ⓘ. The scenes were sculpted by some of the best artists in France and were commissioned at different times over a 200 year period from 1510 to 1720.
Marriage, Annunciation, and Visitation
This second sequence of sculpture on the choir screen, starting at the western end of the south ambulatory, is the work of Jehan Soulas from 1520-1535. Sculpted from the hard limestone from the Tonnerre quarry they consist of scenes from the Gospel of James, depicting the marriage of the Virgin Mary ⓘ to Joseph, the annunciation, and the visitation.
Nativity, Circumcision, and Epiphany
This third sequence of sculpture on the choir screen, starting at the western end of the south ambulatory, is the work of Jehan Soulas from 1521-1535. Sculpted from the hard limestone from the Tonnerre quarry, this consist of scenes depicting the Nativity, Circumcision, and Epiphany.
North Portal - Bourges Cathedral
The north portal of Bourges Cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary ⓘ. The Tympanum ⓘ dates from between 1160 and was part of the older church the the Gothic cathedral replaced. This portal suffered a lot of damage during the Wars of Religion in 1562.
Notre-Dame de Chartres
Designated a World heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres was built from between 1145 and 1250. It's high nave is spanned by ogival pointed arches to form the vault, and the walls are supported by double flying buttresses. Chartres is the first building to have used buttresses as a structural element.
Chartres Cathedral is also unique in having retained almost all of its original 12th and 13th century stained glass.
Portal of St Stephen
The tympanum ⓘ of St Stephen ⓘ at Bourges cathedral was constructed by 1240, and is above one of the five portals at the west end of the cathedral. The tympanum is made up of three sections. The lowest section depicts Stephen being made one of the seven deacons of the early church. Above that is his martyrdom, and on top of all is an image of Christ as Salvator Mundi.
Portal Of St. Anne
The portal of St Anne on the right of the western façade was built in 1200 and is the earliest of the three portals to be built. The tympanum ⓘ is actually dated to about 1150 and was once part of the earlier cathedral of St. Stephen ⓘ whose western façade was once 40 metres to the west of the present Cathedral.
Portal Of The Last Judgement
The central doorway was the last of the three portals, of Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris, to be decorated. Work started in about 1230 and consists of Christ in Majesty (showing the marks of the Crucifixion) with the Virgin Mary ⓘ and St John ⓘ on either side of him.
Portal Of The Virgin
This portal of the Virgin, at Notre Dame Paris, was sculpted between 1210 and 1220. The main scene show the Coronation of the Virgin, where Mary is being crowned Queen of heaven by an angel, whilst she sits on the same throne as Jesus. In the lintel below is Mary on her death bed surrounded by Jesus and the twelve aposles, two angels are about to lift her to heaven. In the lower lintel the old testament prophets are holding scrolls prophesying Christ.
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