 Peter Lombard, 12th-century bishop of Paris, Bibl. de Troyes, ms. 900, reproduced in Revue d'histoire de l'eglise de France, 1964 The Bishop of Paris came in his own door, direct from his palace built on the south side of the cathedral.
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 Elevation and plan of bishop's palace by Viollet-le-Duc in Dictionaire, 1959-68 The bishop who was the main force behind the thirteenth-century construction was named Maurice de Sully. He was an energetic man who wanted to make Paris an important name among religious centers of power. He was friends with the king, Philip Augustus, who wanted the same kind of political dignity for his capital city. Together they helped create the place of Notre-Dame in city life which it still enjoys.
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The bishop joined the other religious members of the cathedral community, the canons, who entered through their door on the opposite side of the building. There were 51 canons at Notre-Dame in Paris and they made up the bulk of what we call the Chapter, or group of men responsible for care and primary use of the building. The canons were headed a Dean whose second in command was the Cantor since one of their primary responsibilities was to perform sung services throughout every day of the year. It was the tradition in Paris to sing these pieces from memory so he had an important role in directing them. Under the Cantor was the Subcantor, then the Chancellor. There were also three archdeacons, and so on.
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View of the Porte Rouge, north side of Notre-Dame. |
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