Amiens Cathedral: Your Responses

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your answers to the Amiens Cathedral Scavenger Hunt. During today's class I'd like to discuss some of the responses...

There are lots of statues surrounding the front doors of the cathedral. At the front left door, two of the sculpted men are holding their own heads. Please try to locate these two men, and take a screenshot photo of them.

Photo by Noah

Photo by Chaney

Why do you think these men would be holding their own heads?

Landon, Charlie, Porter, Ella, Carter M., Daniel and Cort: Maybe it was like a sacrifice or offering for God, or to show that they were willing to sacrifice for God (they were martyrs)

Carter K.: To show that they are in control of their minds

Chaney: Maybe because it is some sort of lesson or punishment. Maybe the two men can't control what they say or something like that.

Noah: They are showing the sacrifice it took to build the cathedral.

Sebastian L.: Maybe they died trying to preach.

Stuart and Grace W.: It’s a sign of their devotion to God. It is a blessing for their god, like they are giving their life to him.

Keira and Emily: In honor of John the Baptist, or because this cathedral has a relic from John the Baptist

Kate R.: It might mean that they can tell something without using their eyes. Like they can believe in God without seeing him.

Can and Axel: Maybe they commited a sin and they were unforgiving to themselves and chopped their heads off. Or they were decapitated by others.

Sebastian C.: I did a little bit of research. One of the headless men is most likely Saint-Denis. He was a bishop who was decapitated. Then he stood up, picked up his head and walked and preached for several miles. I think that the second statue is probably someone with a similar story to Saint-Denis.

Why do you think the front doors are all painted red?

Molly: Maybe because they believe it is God’s blood and that makes them feel closer to God. 

Casner, Caroline R., Carter M., Daniel, Jayden, Cort, Charlie, Grace E., Phoebe and Landon: The red symbolizes Jesus’s blood, or Jesus’s sacrifice.

Ellie: The blood of a God or higher being?

Davis O.: I think the doors are red, like blood, as a way of remembering people who have died.

Henry, Ella and Hadley: Maybe this color symbolizes Passover? It might be a symbol for the sheep's blood they spread across their doors in Egypt.

Jack: In Chinese tradition red represents good fortune, but I don't know what it would mean in this situation.

Olivia: Safety from the devil.

Emily: Maybe the architect wanted the doors to pop.

Try to locate the gargoyle that is overhanging the front right doors. What kind of animal is it?

Timmy, Olivia, Durland, Carter M., Juliet, Jacob, Keira, Phoebe, Alex B., and Molly: A dragon (or a dog-dragon!)

Hunter: A lizard

Caroline: A bat

Ari: A boar

Jayden, Charlie, Charlotte and Alex A.: A bird

Landon, Sebastian C., Keegan, Ellie, Can, and Carson: A dog or wolf (possibly a winged-dog)

Axel: A leopard

Sam: A werewolf (!)

Porter: A gryffon (!)

Miller: A demon (!!)

Davis W.: A winged-human (!!!)