Paris · Architecture
The Narthex and the Bronze Baptismal Font
Notre-Dame de Paris · Paris, France
The space you step into just inside the entrance is called the narthex, a kind of vestibule where visitors gather themselves before entering the sacred interior.
The first thing to catch your eye here is the new bronze baptismal font, made after the fire. French designer Guillaume Bardet created it for the cathedral's reopening, working in dark bronze that feels weighty yet warm, never rough or cold. Bardet wanted a modern piece that would not stand out against the cathedral's 850 years of history, but look as if it had always been there. Its smooth, unadorned curves seem to give shape to still water itself. For the faithful, this spot carries the meaning of a beginning: washing away sin and being born anew.
