HISTORY | FICTION | NOTRE DAME
Guardians of Stone: The Gargoyles of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral
There are many myths and stories about the Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris), named for none other than the Virgin Mary herself — but why the gargoyles?
We went to Paris many times during the six years I was stationed in Mons, Belgium, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).
Every time someone visited, we took them to Paris and/or Versailles. And why not?
What better trip than to the most romantic city in the world? The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Mona Lisa, one of the other Statues of Liberty (there are several, actually), and Versailles is a day trip by itself.
The Louvre can be a day trip, too. In fact, it is said, “…if you were to spend just 30 seconds on each piece of art, it would take 100 days to see them all!” and its content is worth an estimated $50 billion!
Our family visited the Statue of Liberty in NYC when we dropped off our car to be shipped to Belgium. Then, when I got to Belgium, my company sponsored a trip to Paris the week we got there. So, while my now ex-wife got my daughter enrolled in her new school, my son and I went to Paris.
We saw the Statue of Liberty, which the American community in Paris gave to France in 1889 to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. It is a 1/4-size replica sitting on a small man-made island in the Seine River.
There’s another in Bordeaux, France, another in Norway, where the copper was mined to build the ladies, in Ukraine, and dozens of small replicas in cities worldwide.
Our Family Trip to the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral
On this Fourth of July weekend, we decided to see the Notre Dame Cathedral. It seemed every time we went, people just wanted to go up in the Eiffel Tower and see the Mona Lisa.
We figured if we were going to see Notre Dame, we would need to go alone. We packed up our customized Chrysler van with what we’d need, including our new grill, and off we went.
Actually, it is only a three-hour drive to Paris, but we had a few other stops to make along the way. Lille, France, is a little out of the way to the southeast of Mons, but we wanted (well, to be honest, I wanted) to visit Dunkirk and Calais, even though it was out of the way.
But once I showed them the White Cliffs of Dover from Calais, they were amazed and glad we made the detour. Besides, it was a four-day weekend, and we had plenty of time.
The Gargoyle’s Clarification
As I drove onto the Île de la Cité, where the Notre Dame Cathedral sits, my family was sleeping.
So, I thought I’d set up the grill and make some food for us for when they woke up.
I put the charcoal in and lit it. As I sat waiting for the flames to die down, the shadows of the church washed over me and blocked out the sun.
I saw the gargoyles perched on their ledge and wondered why they were there. It seemed rather strange to me to have gargoyles on a church with the customary crosses.
As if in answer to my question, a three-toed gargoyle stepped down from his perch and spoke to me in a voice much like James Earl Jones as Darth Vader.
This didn’t seem at all strange to me. Not that he sounded like Darth, nor that he came down to speak to me.
“Ah, you wonder why we’re here. We are Our Lady’s guards. Many think we are here to scare off evildoers who might wish to harm churchgoers, but that’s only half true.”
“Our primary mission is to filter the rainwater and keep it off the walls of the church — for within the walls of Our Lady of Paris resides a Crown of Thorns, a nail that once held His feet, and a wooden sliver from His Cross.”
Should these relics be left without being watched over by worthy guardians?”
Before I could answer, I heard my daughter calling from far away.
“Daddy, daddy, wake up. We have 젖통이, chestnuts for the fire.”
I said, “Wow, baby, you got a lot. Did you pick these all by yourself?”
She answered, “No, Daddy, that three-toed man shook the tree for me.”
The End.
The picture above was taken at the St Germain l’Auxerrois church in Paris in 2019.
This actually happened — minus the gargoyle talking to me, of course. We had a great BBQ and roasted some chestnuts right there in the shadow of the Notre Dame de Paris.
You’ll be happy to know the Crown of Thorns and other venerated relics, which were housed in Notre Dame de Paris since the French Revolution, were saved from the fire.
The Crown, minus a few thorns, was reportedly gifted to King Louis IX by the Emperor of Constantinople, Baldwin II, in 1238 and eventually housed at Notre Dame de Paris until the fire. You can read more of the Crown’s history at ABC.net.au.
“When they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand. And they bowed the knee and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” — The Gospel of Matthew King James Version.
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Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Also, a Top Writer in Bitcoin, Business, Investing, Nutrition, Travel, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, and Short Story.
