The =Sagittarius= which surmounted the gable was destroyed in 1914. It was a modern faithful copy of the old lead-covered wooden Sagittarius, which was carved, gilded and painted about 1503 by the Rheims sculptor, Jean Bourcamus. According to tradition, this Sagittarius, which appeared to be shooting its arrow at the bronze stag of the archi-episcopal palace, symbolised the rivalry between the Archbishop and the Chapter of the Cathedral. [Illustration: GABLE OF THE SOUTHERN TRANSEPT IN 1914] [Illustration: THE SOUTHERN LATERAL FAÇADE IN 1914] [Illustration: REVERSE SIDE OF THE CENTRAL DOOR IN 1914 _See complete view on p. 52._] =THE INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL= =The Inner Western Façade= (_See description of the Exterior on pp. 34 to 41._) This is a masterpiece. Its sculptural decoration is unique, and as rich as that of the outer façade. In the tympanum of the central door a sixteen-leaved rose-window, the stained-glass of which was made shortly before the Revolution, is faced with three small trefoil rose-windows. At the top of the dividing pillar St. Nicaise, headless, is between two angels and two armed men personifying the barbarians who killed him. The entire door, as far as the triforium, is framed by seven rows of superimposed niches separated by panels of sculptured foliage. The basements are covered with figured drapery, as on the outside. In each niche, under a trefoil arcade, is a statue. The subjects represented are, _from bottom to top_: _on the right_: =The Life of John the Baptist=; _on the left_: =The Fulfilment of the Prophecy= and =The Childhood of Christ=. [Illustration: STATUES ON REVERSE SIDE OF DOORS AFTER FIRE, SEPT., 1914] The first row on the right is known as "=The Knight's Communion="; a priest offers the Host to a knight wearing 13th century armour, and turns his back on another knight clothed in a leathern Carolingian tunic with iron scales, and armed with a small round buckler. Above the door, a gallery with nine openings lights the triforium. On the highest storey, the great rose-window occupies the whole breadth of the nave. It is the masterpiece of Bernard de Soissons (_see p. 40_). In the form of a gigantic flower with twelve petals, each of the latter is sub-divided by quatrefoils and trefoil archings. Its harmonious gracefulness and seeming lightness, in spite of the great thickness of its border (about 7 ft.), and mullions (about 2 ft. 6 in.), are very striking. The stained-glass, which, with the stonework, formed a harmonious whole, was restored in modern times. The subject represented was: =The Virgin surrounded by angels, kings and patriarchs=. The fire of 1914 destroyed the stained-glass. The side-doors have only a quatrefoil rose-window (_see pp. 25 and 34_), and their framework of niches consists only of four rows of two niches each. However, two lines of niches, in which are statues in demi-relief, form the contour of the arches which frame their top.