So I’m taking Intro to Humanities II, and was asked to look for a piece of art that resonates with me from a chapter in our text and explain why I am attracted to it. I stumbled upon a picture of Notre Dame Cathedral. I am not a very religious person, nor is my family Catholic (though it is in our blood being Irish and all) but I have always felt a calling to the faith. One part of that calling has always been the beauty of Catholic churches. I have always thought of them as Gothic in architecture and dark fitting their purpose, without really knowing it is Gothic architecture. Growing up I was always told that God is loving and kind, but personally I have found the opposite to be true. Vengeful and angry seem to be more His palette and the old churches cropping up from the Renaissance era were perfect for that side.
Even though the churches look cold and ominous from the outside, step inside and there is sunlight everywhere. When I was young and stupid, I remember vowing to be married in a church that was big and full of overlooking gargoyles on the outside, colored with stain glass windows inside. A huge organ in the front/back (pick your perspective), rows of beautifully carved pews and high arched ceilings vaulting to the sky. Now the yearning is still there, and am still drawn to the magical buildings that captured my heart as a child, but I know better. Notre Dame Cathedral and many others are just a part of my past, that I wanted for my future that will never be in my present. Which is why I think I am attracted to them, it is something I can never have.
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