A Look Back: Notre Dame Cathedral

Good morning! The transition back to life at home continues for Jacob and me. I must confess, it has been more difficult than I anticipated. (Let's just say that my sleep schedule remains a work in progress.)

Yesterday was Jackson's birthday! Blog posts took a backseat to celebrating Jackson's big day and preparing chicken enchiladas for his birthday dinner (yum!). Today, it's back to catching up on videos and pictures from the trip.

The visit to Notre Dame Cathedral was one of the major highlights of the Sound of America tour. Construction on this cathedral began in 1163 (completed in 1345), and they are in the process of a year-long celebration of the 850th anniversary of the cornerstone being laid. Recently, nine new bells were dedicated for the bell tower. The crowds of visitors are as large as ever. And amid all of this activity, the SOA Choir was allowed to perform in front of the altar. This special opportunity is one of the things that caught my attention when Jacob was applying to join the tour. When I woke up the morning of the performance, my first thought was: my son is singing in Notre Dame today. Wow! What an amazing feeling.

First, here are a few photos from our visit: (1) an exterior view of the back of the cathedral. Behind the fountain in the foreground, you can see the flying buttresses supporting the exterior walls of the church. Notre Dame was one of the earlier buildings to use this feature, which allowed for walls to be built higher (an essential feature for church construction from that point forward); (2) the high altar area. It is fairly dark in this area unless mass or some other event is taking place, as evidenced by (3) a photo of the choir assembling on the side of the altar area. This is where the choir warmed up, drawing the attention of the numerous visitors to the cathedral. (4) A view from the front of the altar back down the length of the sanctuary. The pipe organ is visible in front of the stained glass window at the top; (5) the choir assembled on the steps in front of the altar. All visitors to the center of the sanctuary (where services are held) were asked to move to the pews, although tourists continued to move about along the sides of the cathedral.

And then it was time for the choir to perform! I shared one video from Notre Dame earlier in the blog (the song was "Festival Sanctus"), and here are two more. First up, a beautiful arrangement of "Ave Maria":

And finally, this is "And Peace Shall Guard You":

More still to come from Paris, and more video to come from other concerts as well. Check back later!