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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZIN 



Photograph by Crete 



DETAILS OP THE WEST EAQADE OF RHEIMS CATHEDRAL 



The west fagade of this church, "perhaps the most beautiful structure produced in the 

 Middle Ages," is the supreme example of elaborate decoration in the early Gothic style. 

 The sides and overhead vaulting of the three recessed portals and the gables above them 

 are beautifully adorned with sculptures and carvings. (Photograph made before the damage 

 done during the World War; see also page 82.) The facades of the cathedrals of Notre 

 Dame, Tours, Amiens, Strassburg, and Lichfield are similarly embellished. 



