The great point is that (using the word as widely as it may fairly be used) uniformity is achieved. Of Notre Dame we may say--what we cannot say of buildings possibly more interesting to the architect and the antiquary--that from east to west, from north to south, it strikes the observer as the splendid outcome of a single imagination, or of a number of imaginations dominated by the same impulse, rather than the haphazard result of peculiar and fortuitous circumstances. [Illustration: _Photo_] [_Ed. Hautecœur, Paris._ TYMPANUM OF THE NORTH TRANSEPT DOORWAY.] The sculpture of the portal of the North Transept is devoted to the history of the Virgin--of whom the dividing pier between the doors bears a beautiful statue. The carving in the lowest division of the tympanum deals with the Birth of Christ, the Visit of the Magi, the Presentation in the Temple, and the Flight into Egypt. The carving of the other divisions refers to the history of Theophilus, a mythical monk who signed a contract with the Devil, like Faust, but was saved by the interference of the Virgin. On each side of the portal are three empty niches. These, as well as the portal, possess canopies. An arcade of lights is the chief feature, between the entrance and the great rose window previously alluded to. The portal of the South Transept has figures of Christ, St. Martin, St. Stephen, St. John the Baptist, Moses, St. Denis, St. Thomas, St. Peter, St. Bartholomew, David, and Aaron. The tympanum has a representation of the Martyrdom of St. Stephen. This portal is seldom used. Again we have the arcade of lights leading to the great rose. The gable end is in its turn pierced by another smaller circular window of remarkable beauty. It will be seen that while there are great differences between the fronts of the two transepts, structurally they resemble one another. Returning to the north side of the church, beneath one of the windows belonging to a choir chapel is the well-known _Porte Rouge_, a delicate masterpiece which we may probably attribute to the early part of the fourteenth century. In its tympanum is represented the Coronation of the Virgin, while in its vaulting we have scenes in the life of St. Marcel. The door gained its name from the fact that it was originally painted red. It seems always to have held a high place in the affections of the Parisians. Victor Hugo appears specially to have delighted in it, for he writes: “La petite Porte-Rouge atteint presque les limites des délicatesses gothiques du quinzième siècle.” Near the _Porte Rouge_, under the windows of the Choir chapels, are seven bas-reliefs representing scenes from the Virgin’s life. They date from the sixteenth century.