Luminous French architecture

 

Several people have recently mentioned how much they enjoy my photos from Paris. Here are a few more!

Gothic architecture often gets a bad rap as being dark and gloomy. It can be dark and gloomy at night, but during the day it can be gloriously illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the high stained glass windows. Here are some photos I took in the church of St. Eustache in Paris last October which help illustrate that fact.  It was built after the Gothic period properly speaking (as the Corinthian columns attest), but still follows the overall style.

 

 

Although the nooks and crannies can still be dark by our standards, the progress made in building technology at that point in history allowed Gothic buildings to make better use of natural light in large buildings than had been done in centuries.

Fr. Matthew Green

7 thoughts on “Luminous French architecture

  1. If I remember rightly the church was built in the 16th century, so technically in the Renaissance. The organ, partially visible, is among the largest in France at over 100 stops on five manuals. Built in 1989 by the Dutch firm Van den Heuvel, the case and front pipes are from the 19th c., it’s the latest in a long line of instruments in this important musical center. Thanks for the great pictures, FG, keep ’em coming.

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