Quilt-ish Reflections on Notre Dame, by an Accidental Witness to History

Last week, I was an ordinary American tourist in Paris. I blogged about my visit to a flea market, here. Next, I was going to write about fabric stores; and then about some of the quilty inspiration from art I saw in museums and churches. 

But then - two days after we arrived home - the Notre Dame cathedral burned. Watching the news was surreal. We were just there; we had walked around inside it on April 7; for the next several days, we passed it many more times en route to other sights. It occurred to me: I was now one of the last witnesses to see the inside of the cathedral before the fire of 2019.  

So, before I post about fabric shopping in Paris, I'm posting the (few) pictures I took in Notre Dame eight days before the fire. Take heart: From initial reports, most of what I photographed on that day is still in good shape. My photos: 

 The carved arches made me think of dense quilting designs.

I was also thinking of quilting designs when I saw this spectacular ironwork: 

Inside, I photographed the rose windows, because you never know when you'll need to make a stained glass quilt: 

 ...plus a couple of the magnificent smaller windows...

Most of the clerical statues lay placidly on top of their caskets, but this fellow seemed eager to communicate.

Overall, the cathedral's interior was dark; but this nook was (relatively) bright and colorful.

Two things fascinated me here. First, the spectacular Madonna icon. [Update: A reader informed me that this painting is a copy of the 600-year-old Black Madonna of Częstochowa, Poland. The original is still safe there.]

...and to the right, a table holding pictures of the late Polish Pope, Jean Paul II. 

The multilingual sign reads: "Relics of Saint John-Paul II". 

What kind of relics? Where? Under the sign, over it, behind it? Were they saved? [Update: The New York Times just published  a fascinating article about how precious items were rescued during the fire, here.] 

Finally, there's this shot:

And that roof is now gone. 

Far better pictures of Notre Dame's interior are online. Appearing on my social media feeds since the fire are stunning quilts inspired by rose windows, especially Michelle Bardwell's 'Cathedral Rose'. See a rich Pinterest page, mixing photos of rose windows with quilts, here.  A similarly inspiring page is here. A newfound appreciation of  Notre Dame will doubtless inspire many more quilts. 

My heart goes out to the French and to all who grieve. I hope it's a consolation that the damage could have been much worse; and that the cathedral will be rebuilt - just as beautiful, and more fireproof than before. 

Next installment: Fabric shopping in Paris. Really.