la Cathédrale d'Amiens

Last night after dinner, we walked to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens to see the son et lumière show. Son et lumière or a sound and light show is usually presented at night at an outdoor venue of historic significance. Special lighting effects are projected onto the façade of a building or ruin and synchronized with either a recorded or live narration to dramatize the history of the site. According to Wikipedia (students, remember this is not a reliable source for your papers...), the invention of the concept is credited to Paul Robert-Houdin, who was the curator of the Château de Chambord, which hosted the world's first son et lumière in 1952.

I saw the show when I was in Amiens last December, but it was freezing and raining, and therefore not too enjoyable. I do remember being impressed with the spectacle, though, as well as with Philip Simmonds' ability to convince the security guard that he was escorting a very important American delegation and therefore we deserved to be able to drive directly to the parvis of the cathedral! The cathedral is the tallest Gothic church of the 13th Century, and the largest of its kind in all of France. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

Why is this show particularly impressive, you ask? Until recently, everyone believed that cathedrals were the color of the stones used to construct them centuries ago. While cleaning the Amiens Cathedral, workers discovered bits of pigment embedded in the stone. Much research was done, and it was revealed that originally, the statues and carvings were painted in vibrant colors, using pigments from local as well as foreign sources. Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan, for example. An amazing laser show, developed by the Skertzo Company, restores the Cathedral to its original colors each night. Explanations are done in French, followed by English.

It's difficult enough for me to grasp the complexity of constructing a cathedral of this magnitude nearly 800 years ago, but then to learn that not only were the statues carved with so much care, they were also painted with equal attention to detail is just incredible. This is something I won't mind visiting again and again.