Close by this organ the stones of the pavement are movable, and cover the entrance of a small crypt. This is the principal subterranean chamber of the cathedral, and it was constructed so recently as the eighteenth century. It was set apart as the burial place of the Archbishops of Paris, and is little more than a vault. Over the coffins of those of the Archbishops who have been Cardinals are suspended their red hats and tassels. The excavations for this little crypt led to a discovery which was of great interest to archæologists. Amongst other Roman remains was a small altar to Jupiter, which is now preserved in the Cluny Museum. In _Paris à travers les Ages_ we read of a small crypt below the Chapelle S. Anne, on the south side of the nave. Used now as a coal cellar, it was formerly a burial place, as is attested by the following inscription: “Cave pour les cercueils de plomb; cave pour la sépulture des chanoines; caves pour la sépulture des musiciens, enfants de Chœurs et officiers clercs.” The pavement of the choir is of pieces of marble of various colours, which together form a geometrical pattern. As one looks at it, one laments the magnificent tombs with bronze effigies which were formerly the glory of this part of the church. [Illustration: _Photo_] [_Ed. Hautecœur, Paris._ THE CHOIR FROM THE SOUTH TRANSEPT.] The =Sanctuary= is approached by four steps of Languedoc marble, and three additional steps of the same material lead to the high altar. The =High Altar= still retains most of the leading features of the arrangement of Louis XIV. It was begun in 1699, and finished in 1714. The pseudo-classical architecture by means of which the great pillars of the apse were hidden has of course been swept away. The principal group of sculpture, representing the Descent from the Cross, is by Nicolas Coustou, who was born at Lyons in 1658. He was a pupil of Coysevox, his uncle, who at that time was director of the Academy of Painting and Sculpture at Paris. He obtained the _grand prix_, and went to study at Rome, where he was profoundly influenced by the work of Michael Angelo. Coustou’s output on his return to France was enormous. The “Descent from the Cross,” at Notre Dame was doubtless inspired by the famous group by Michael Angelo in St. Peter’s at Rome. It cannot be said that Coustou has approached the greatest of the Italians in the profundity of his pathos or in tragic solemnity, but the group at Notre Dame is not without decided merit, although it leans towards the melodramatic and artificial.