Chapter 2 Notre Dame Cathedral (1) Volume 1 Hall (1)

one hall Three hundred and forty-eight years ago, six months and nineteen days ago, in the triple city walls of the old city, the university city and the new city of Paris, the bells rang loudly early in the morning, waking up all the residents of the city. However, January 6, 1482, is not a memorable day in history.The thing that makes the bells ring and the people move together early in the morning is also insignificant and not enough to remember.Neither the Picards nor the Burgundians came to attack the city, nor the reliquary-carrying reliquaries, nor the rebellion of the students of the Vineyards of Laas, nor the rebellion of the "Where We Are" His Majesty the King's entry into the city was not even the pleasing hanging of pickpockets of both sexes in the Place de Justice in Paris, much less the sudden arrival of some foreign envoy in fancy dress and a crown of feathers, which was commonplace in the fifteenth century.The last of these, the courtiers of Flanders, had not been two days in Paris, to marry the Crown Prince of France to Princess Marguerite of Flanders.It troubled his lord the Cardinal of Bourbon, but to please the King he had to smile at this rowdy, rustic mayor of Flanders, and entertain him at his Bourbon mansion. They were watching "many wonderful allegories, silly plays, and farces," when a downpour drowned the ornate hangings of the mansion's entrance.

The 6th of January, which, as John de Troy said, "excited all the people of Paris," coincided with two great festivals from time immemorial, the Epiphany and the Feast of the Madmen. On this day, according to the custom, fireworks will be set off on the river beach, a May tree will be planted in the Chapel of Braque, and a miracle drama will be performed in the Palace of Justice.The servant of Lord Fu Yin wore a gorgeous purple-red camel hair cloth shirt with two large white crosses on his chest. He had blown his trumpet and yelled loudly at the cross street the night before. Early in the morning, houses and shops were closed, and crowds of citizens, men and women, flocked from all directions to the three designated locations.Everyone already has a spectrum in mind, some go to watch the fireworks, some go to watch the May tree planting, and some go to watch the miracle drama.

Still, the old-time insight of the Parisian goofs is admirable, and the vast majority of the crowd go to see the fireworks, because it's the season, or the Miracle Play, because it's at the Palais de Justice. There was a performance in the hall, with a solid roof and closed doors and windows on all sides; and the poor May tree, whose flowers were so sparse that the spectators didn't want to look at it, let it stand in the cold January. Alone and trembling in the graveyard of the chapel in Braque. The people knew that the Flemish envoys, who had arrived in Paris the day before yesterday, were coming to watch the performance of the Miracle Play and the election of the Mad Pope, which was to be held in the same hall, and so the crowds poured mainly into the various passages leading to the Palais de Justice. avenue.

The Great Hall of the Palace of Justice was hailed as a unparalleled hall at the time (it is true that Sauval had not yet measured the Great Hall of Montargis Castle), but it is not easy to squeeze in on this day.Families huddled in the windows to watch the excitement. People looked down and saw that the square of the Palace of Justice, which was crowded with people, was like a raging sea. The five or six streets leading to the square were like estuaries, gushing out every moment. flow of people.The square is shaped like an uneven body of water, and the protruding corners here and there are like capes, and the ever-expanding flow of people, with rough waves, hits these capes one after another.There is a tall step in the center of the majestic Gothic-style front of the Palace of Justice. Two streams of people keep going up and down. This is because the stream of people breaks up under the central step and then spreads to the slopes on both sides in the form of waves. open.In this way, I say, the big steps are like flowing water, pouring into the square continuously, like a waterfall falling into a lake.Shouts, laughter, and the stomping of countless people merged into a huge sound, a huge noise.From time to time, this sound, this uproar, became more deafening with the turning, confusion, or whirling of the stream of people rushing towards the great central staircase.This is because an archer in the government office is pushing people, or a head catcher is riding a horse on a rampage, desperately trying to maintain order.This amazing tradition has been passed from the government office to the commander-in-chief, from the commander-in-chief to the mounted police, and from the mounted police to today's Paris police corps.

On every door, window, skylight, and roof, there are tens of thousands of citizens' faces, pleasant, serene and simple, gazing at the Palace of Justice, gazing at the noisy crowd, and I am satisfied, because to this day There are still many people in Paris who are happy to watch the spectators, and besides, what is going on behind a human wall is very interesting to us. If we who lived in 1830 could use our imaginations to be among these Parisians of the fifteenth century, to be dragged and bumped, tossed and squeezed with them The vast halls of the Palace of Justice - so small on this day, January 6, 1482 - do not feel that the scene before us is boring and unattractive. On the contrary, all around us The things I see are so old, but I feel very fresh.

If the judge agrees, we might as well try our best to use our brains to imagine how the judge will feel when we step into the hall with us among the noisy crowd wearing short jackets, half shirts and short jackets. First, tinnitus and vertigo.Above us was a pointed double-vaulted roof, veneered with carved wood, painted in sky blue and decorated with golden lilies; below us was a floor of black and white marble.A few paces away there was a tall pillar, and another, and another; seven pillars in all up the length of the hall, supporting the keystone of the double-vaulted roof which fell in the middle of its transverse direction.Around the first four pillars stood shops, gleaming with sheets of glass and tinsel; , polished.Around the hall, along the high walls, between the doors, between the windows, and between the pillars, stood a long line of statues of the kings of France from Pharamond down; Hanging down, eyes downcast; all heroic men hold their heads high, with their hands raised high, pointing directly at the sky.In addition, the long pointed windows are full of colorful stained glass; the exits of the large halls are all richly carved doors.And all this, arches, columns, walls, window-frames, wainscoting, doors, statues, from top to bottom, blue and gold, variegated and radiant; dimmed as we see it today In 1549 A.D., de Pleur praised it according to rumors, but in fact, it was almost buried by dust and cobwebs at that time, and it completely lost the brilliant luster of the year.

Now, let us picture this vast rectangular hall, dimly lit, on a January day, filled with a multitude of colorfully dressed and noisy people, loitering along the walls and circling the seven pillars, If you think about it this way, you can roughly get a vague impression of the whole scene.Let's talk about some interesting details more precisely. Needless to say, if it had not been for the assassination of Henry IV by Lavaiac, there would be no files of the Lavaiac case in the archives of the Palace of Justice, and no one of his accomplices would deliberately destroy the file of the case. and therefore no arsonist, having no other choice but to set fire to the archives, in order to destroy the files, or to set fire to the Palais de Justice, in order to destroy the archives.All in all, the fire of 1618 would not have happened.In that case, the ancient Palace of Justice and its ancient halls will stand as before, and I can also tell the judge: go and see for yourself!So neither of us has to do it: I won't describe it as it is, and you won't have to read it. — This proves a new truth: all major events must have incalculable consequences.

But it may also be true: first, Ravaiac had no accomplices; and second, even if there were, his accomplices probably had nothing to do with the fire of 1618.In this way, there are two other explanations for the cause of the fire, both of which are reasonable.The first explanation is that a great flaming star, a foot wide and a cubit high, fell from the sky after midnight on March 7, as is well known, and happened to land in the House of Justice.The second interpretation is found in the four lines of Théophile: True, it was a miserable game, Lady Justice in Paris, Eating too many spices, Since the palace was burned to the ground.

These are the political, natural, and poetic interpretations of 1618 in relation to the fire at the Palais de Justice, and whatever people may think about it, the fire is unfortunately true.As a result of this catastrophe, and as successive constructions destroyed what survived, there is not much left today, not much of this first royal palace in France.This palace, which can be called the elder brother of the Louvre, is very old as early as the time of Philip the Handsome, and some people even go inside to find the magnificent buildings built by King Robert and described by Ecadis remains of things.Almost everything is gone.Back then, St. Louis got married in the Privy Council, where is the bridal chamber now?He tried the case in the Royal Court, "wearing a feather gauze short jacket, a sleeveless duffel coat, a cloak, and black slippers on the feet, lying on the carpet with Joinville." Where is the Royal Court today?Where is Emperor Sigismond's bedroom now?What about Charles IV?What about King John without fiefs?Where is the staircase where Charles VI issued the amnesty standing on it?Marcel killed Robert de Clermont and Marshal Champagne in front of the prince. Where is the slate at the scene?The decree of the false Pope Benedick was proclaimed through the little gate through which his messengers, so disfigured, dressed in cassocks and crowns, went out to parade through the streets of Paris. Alley, apologize to the people and plead guilty, where is this small door now?And the great hall, with its splendid decorations, its pointed windows, its statues, its pillars, its broad vaults carved into patterns, where is all this now?And what about the golden bedroom?The stone lion guarding the gate, with its head drooping and its tail between its legs, is like the lion in front of Solomon's seat; it shows the appearance of violence bowing before justice. Where is this stone lion?And what about those gorgeous doors?What about the colorful stained glass windows?And what about the engraved metal foreskin on the door that Bisknet dreaded?And what about the fine woodwork by de Angnecy? ... As time passed and personnel changed, what did these rare treasures finally become?In place of all this, of the whole history of Gaul, of the whole of Gothic art, what tricks have been given to us?Instead of art, there is nothing but the heavy oblate dome of Monsieur de Prosse, like the stupid building of the Porte Saint-Gervaux; The nagging voices of Batru and his ilk are still ringing.

It's not a big deal. —— Closer to home, let's go back to this well-deserved hall of this well-deserved ancient Palace of Justice. At one end of this immense parallelogram-shaped hall stood the famous marble table, so long, so wide, and so thick that, according to ancient cadastres, such a large marble was never seen in the world. It can make Cargantia salivate; at the other end is the chapel, in which Louis XI asked someone to carve a statue kneeling in front of the Virgin, and put Charlemagne and St. The King of France, a saint with the greatest confidence in heaven—had been moved to the chapel, despite leaving two empty recesses in the long line of statues of successive kings in the hall.This little church was built only about six years ago, and it is still brand new. The architecture is elegant, the carvings are wonderful, the chisels are exquisite, and everything expresses a charming style; this style is the characteristic of the end of the Gote period in our country and has continued By the middle of the sixteenth century, it was manifested in the fairyland-like fantasies of the Renaissance.The small round window of rose petals on the lintel of the chapel is delicate and elegant, especially a masterpiece, like a star made of lace.

In the middle of the hall, there is a stand covered with golden brocade, facing the gate, with its back against the wall, and a special entrance is opened by using a window in the corridor of the golden bedroom.This stand was erected for the Flemish envoys and other great persons who were invited to watch the Miracle Play. According to the custom, the sacred play should be performed on the marble table over there.The table was set early in the morning.