Trois Églises Eaux-fortes originales de Ch. Jouas

Rooted in the Romantic revival of the nineteenth century, this study turns the spotlight on the hidden language of Gothic cathedrals, especially the monumental Notre‑Dame. Drawing on the insights of Hugo, Viollet‑le‑Duc and a host of early‑twentieth‑century scholars, the author argues that centuries of architectural analysis have shown only the stone skin, while the true soul lies in a dense network of symbols that encode scripture, moral lessons and medieval cosmology.

The text unpacks that symbolic system as an alphabet of stone, glass and sculpture, where each statue, window or portal functions like a word in a divine manuscript. Accompanying the essay are three original etchings by Charles Jouas, each rendering a different church and highlighting the very signs the author describes. Listeners will be guided through the visual and intellectual tapestry that made cathedrals the medieval Bible for a largely illiterate populace.