Reading the Cathedral from the Nave

You are now standing in the central aisle of the cathedral, which architects call the nave. Look up at the arched ceiling: it resembles a giant ship turned upside down. That is no coincidence, since "nave" comes from the Latin navis, meaning "ship." In other words, you are a pilgrim aboard an enormous vessel of stone, crossing the sea of faith. With luck, you may even get to experience a Mass here.

The central aisle is roped off for Mass, so visitors move into the heart of the cathedral along the left-hand aisle, together with the other tourists. Before you do, take a long look at the very back of the cathedral. Behind the high altar stands the Pietà, in which the Virgin Mary cradles the body of the dead Christ, flanked by kneeling statues of Louis XIII and Louis XIV in prayer. On this route you meet these sculptures after the rose windows, but once you step into the side aisle, the tall choir screen blocks your view, and you can no longer take in the grand altar as a whole. So soak it in from right here. (You can still catch glimpses through the gaps in the screen.)

A word on where you are headed. With your back to the entrance, left is north and right is south, and there is a clever design idea behind that. The north side, which gets little sunlight, stands for the age of the Old Testament and for darkness; the sunlit south side stands for the age of the New Testament and for light. So your walk begins on the dark north side, to the left as you enter. You meet Old Testament figures such as Moses, Noah and David, pass the rose windows and arrive at the round heart of the cathedral. There you encounter Christ and the Crown of Thorns, then leave the symbols of his Passion behind and turn toward the south, the side of light and glory, on the right as you enter, and circle back to where you started. Your path traces an upside-down U. Knowing this, the cathedral looks a little different, doesn't it?