![VPR News show](https://d3dthqtvwic6y7.cloudfront.net/podcast-covers/000/045/750/small/vpr-news-from-vermont-public-radio.jpg)
Summary: The impressive-looking flying buttresses of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris are still standing – now seen by many as symbols of strength and endurance. But at the Notre Dame they have no real structural function. Resembling earthbound wings, they’re strictly there for looks. And I should know, because I teach architectural history at Middlebury College.