upon the world.
Mysticism, palaverings, and orgies unspeakable took place between its
walls, and it only became sanctified again when Napoleon caused it to be
reopened as a place of divine worship. Again, three-quarters of a
century later, it fell into evil times--when it was turned into a
military rendezvous by the Communards of '71. In turn, they too
retreated, leaving the church, as they supposed, to the mercy of the
flames which they had kindled. Fortunately these were extinguished and
the building again rescued from an untoward fate.

The thirteenth-century facade is usually accredited the finest part of
the church. It comes upon one as rather plain and bare after the
luxuriance of Amiens, Reims, or Rouen. As a model and design, however,
it has served its purpose well, if other examples, variously
distributed throughout England and France, are considered. Its lines, in
fact, are superb and vary little in proportion or extent from what must
perforce be accepted as ideal. Its portals are of good design, and so
also is such sculpture as survived the ravages of the past, though the
outlines of the doorways are severely plain. A series of modern
sculptured effigies of the kings, replacing those destroyed at the
Revolution, forms a plain horizontal band across the entire front; a
none too graceful or pleasing arrangement of itself. A rose window
forty-two feet in width occupies the centre of the next stage, flanked
by two blunt-pointed windows rather bare of glass. Above is an arcaded
gallery of small pointed arches in pairs, also extending across the
entire front. The balustrade, above, holds a number of grotesque
creatures carved in stone. They may be gargoyles, but are not, however,
in this case, of the spout variety, being some of those erections of a
superstitious age which were so frequently added to a mediaeval building;
though whether as a mere decoration, or with greater significance,
authorities do not seem to agree. The two uncompleted square towers
overtop all, pierced by the two great lancets, which, with respect to
mere proportions, are unusual if not unique.

The spire above the crossing is a wooden structure covered with lead,
and dates only from the middle of the nineteenth century. Both the north
and south transepts contain magnificent rose windows of even larger
dimensions than that of the west facade. The doorway of the south
transept is ornamented with effective ironwork, but otherwise the
exterio