Until a few days ago I had never heard of Le Mans Cathedral. So there was no way I could no how beautiful it is, right? Le Mans, a city in northwestern France, is famous primarily for the 24-hour auto race that takes place there in mid-June of each year. It turns out, however, that the town has a terrific cathedral, distinct from most others by virtue of its being partly Romanesque and partly Gothic.
Thais
Le Mans Cathedral
The Thais site has eight black and white photos of this cathedral. With just a little bit of care, you will be able to get a good feel for the real appearance of the church inside.
To get to know the church, I suggest three things --
(1) In viewing each photo, imagine that you are the photographer, and ascertain what part of the cathedral you would be standing in as you took that photo. You will thus begin your photos of the interior by standing near the back of the cathedral, facing the front. (I.e., your back is to the west end, with its main entrance; you are facing east, toward the altar and choir -- every cathedral is configured this way.)
(2) In each photo, look for a prominent set of 3-5 tall stained glass windows. This group is at the far eastern end of the cathedral; when you locate it you will be able to deduce where you are standing.
(3) If you really want to enjoy this experience, first run quickly through each of the eight photos, so that each is loaded into your computer's cache. Then you will really enjoy, and benefit from, the second "trip" around, when the photos appear in a second's notice, rather than after a slow and tedious download. (Really, if you do this, you will have a wholly different experience than if you just go through the cycle once -- and it only takes 1-2 minutes more.)
And now to begin --
First is an aerial view. Here you can see the splendid flying buttresses and the general shape of the building itself. (You the photographer are obviously in a plane or helicopter; the tall stained glass windows are in the second story of the rounded end of the cathedral, sin the center of the flying buttresses.)
Next are three shots of the nave, inside the cathedral, each taken from a different vantage point and therefore showing a different part of this center "aisle" --
South side of nave. (You the photographer are standing on the "left" side of the church, near the back, photographing the "right" side of the nave. The 5-window group is at the left, just out of sight.)
Nave, the center "aisle" of a church. (You are facing east; the 5 windows are straight ahead of you.)
North side of nave. ** (Here you have moved to the right-hand (south) side of the cathedral, and turned slightly to the left (north). The 5 windows are at the far right of the picture.)
Next come the vaults at mid-church, or the crossing -- where the nave of the church, running west and east, is intersected by the transepts, which run north and south. (You are standing at the crossing, looking straight up; the five windows are at the bottom of the photo. On the left, you can see the rose window of the north transept.)
Finally, there are three photos taken in or near the "choir," the east end of the church where the actual ceremonies take place --
North side of choir. (You are now closer to the choir, having moved up from your place on the right side of the church (as in ** above)and you are still facing slightly left. The 5 windows are very prominent, on the right side of the photo.)
Choir vaults and ambulatory. (You have moved to the choir now, and then stepped a bit to the right, into the ambulatory that surrounds the choir; you are looking straight up. Only the tops of the 5 windows are visible, at bottom right.)
Choir vault. (Here you are standing in the east end of the cathedral, in the choir itself; you are looking straight up. The 5-window group is at the left.) (personal favorite - incredible!))
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