We all watched in shock today at the news coming out of Paris, and I'm sure we shared in the tremendous sadness that was felt around the world. It's numbing, really, and while we are already numbed by all the human tragedy we see in this day and age, this was tragedy of a different kind, the destruction of one of the greatest and most monumental works of art ever produced by human beings, built in the name of Our Lady, Mother of Jesus. In the book about composer Richard Wagner that I just finished reading, the author talks about the vital importance of great music to release the yearnings of the soul that cannot be expressed in words. He mentions Wagner's operas as being among the greatest music ever written and then goes on to say that music may be the greatest, most powerful, most transformative art there is.
He then mentions one art form, a very specific one, which - though limited in it's collective output - may nonetheless surpass the majesty of music. The Gothic Cathedrals of Europe.
I am not an expert on the cathedrals, but I would imagine that Notre Dame has always been considered the most magnificent of them all. Also, it may have been the oldest. Was it? I don't know.
As I say, I'm not an expert, but like millions of people the world over, I have an affinity for these beautiful churches, and of course just to simply call them "beautiful churches" is wholly inadequate. But if author Bryan Magee is right in saying that the cathedrals of Europe surpass even music as the most important works of art of human beings, and if Notre Dame was the greatest of the cathedrals, than that would make it also the greatest work of art that has ever been created.
I think, and the evidence shows, that the Gothic Cathedrals were built as direct conduits to God, gigantic temples that would resonate and amplify the human voice in prayer and devotion, and send it upward. These churches were built according to the laws of Sacred Geometry, and every part of each cathedral has a specific function and meaning that is meant to facilitate communion with the Divine.
I will tell you something : When I am sitting with the choir at Reseda Methodist, I am behind the Pastor who is speaking to the congregation, and I too (and all of us in the choir) are looking out over the pews toward the front of the church. We can see all the people. We can see the Pastor, and the stained glass windows. And speaking for myself, I can feel - coming from all of this but also from the vaulted architecture of the church itself - an immense, energizing empowerment.
I can feel it coming from the structure and shape of the building and it's cavernous interior, and the light coming in through the stained glass. All of this is constructed with a deliberate purpose.
If I am feeling this power inside Reseda Methodist, just imagine what a choir member or a congregant or a tourist - or anyone - must have felt inside the cathedral of Notre Dame.
I am a big believer in the reality of Faith, Hope and Love, so I was heartened - after the hours-long news reports indicating nothing but total devastation - to learn that many of the interior artworks had survived the fire. I was further heartened to see a brief video inside of Notre Dame in the aftermath of the fire. Yes, it was horrible looking, but not as bad as we had feared. My heart soared with joy, then, as I am certain millions of hearts did, when President Macron said "We will rebuild".
Because that means, and we could see in the video, that there is something left to rebuild. There is quite a lot, actually.
I have never been to France and thus have never seen Notre Dame. But if they can rebuild it in my lifetime, and I imagine they can (because the French are some very determined people), then I will make every effort to finally make the trip to Paris that my sister and I keep saying we want to do.
You can't undo the damage from a fire, but you can rebuild. And if you rebuild to exacting standards, you can recreate, to some extent, the building as it was. The wood will be new, and the vibe may be changed, but the effort put in by the souls of the recreationists will serve to make up the difference.
And if the recreated Notre Dame stands for another 800 years, that will be something to see. ////
I wish you Peace and Love tonight, and Good Blessings Always. The house I am writing from, Pearl's house, burned nearly to the ground on Christmas Day in 1972. But the outer structure survived, and it was completely rebuilt, in exactly the same way that Edward Fickett designed it. It is the exact same house, and I am sitting in it as I sign off to you tonight.
So : Faith, Hope & Love, and I will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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