Chances are, if you're reading this, you are a little stuck as to how to proceed in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse after falling for Death's trap. After all, that pesky clock is part of the problem, warping Rose to Dracula's lair before she's meant to fight him and leading to a less-than-desirable outcome.
So if you don't want the worst Castlevania: Belmont's Curse ending, you'll need to find a lead. Naturally, with a castle so labyrinthine in its design, there are potential leads everywhere you look. However, one early example you may have seen is a giant painting of Notre Dame Cathedral, just hanging there in a giant hallway. Those who have played Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin might have an inkling of what this means, but you'll need to gather a few key items together before you can explore this hidden area.
Where is Notre Dame in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?
Surprisingly, finding Notre Dame is remarkably simple. In the Main Hall, as you progress toward the Clock Tower area, you'll come across a large empty hallway with a giant painting of the famous French cathedral. You won't be able to do anything with this artwork right now, but it's essential that you do visit at some point if you want to finish the game.
Requirements for unlocking Notre Dame
Your first objective is to find and defeat Talos. He is an extremely well-hidden boss that requires a bit of puzzle-solving to reach his lair, and the fight is relatively tricky too. You can find more detail on how to get to the Talos boss fight toward the end of our How to Ascend the Clock Tower guide, as this is the true main boss of the area.
Once you have beaten Talos, you'll obtain his technique that breaks specific barriers and objects with a yellow glow. This is needed for the next step: unlocking the Artist Arcana. In the Main Hall area, you'll find several Alucard Paintings that hint at secret passages, and one of them just so happens to reveal the hidden entrance to Brauner's Atelier. Smash his latest 'masterpiece' to smithereens, and he'll appear to complain. There is no boss fight this time, which for fans of this metroidvania series is a bit of a shame, but you'll get the Arcana with little fuss.
Finally, you need the Painter's Brush, which has been pinched by another boss of the castle: Carmilla. To reach her, you'll need to explore the library and find the clues that unlock the astral glyph mechanisms. Once you have all three combinations, return to the central chamber near the save point and activate the glyphs leading to the rafters. At the top of this short tower, you'll find the Blood Witch Carmilla, whose boss fight has a rather nasty gimmick you need to overcome to beat her.
How to unlock Notre Dame
Once you have all three key components needed to open the way, return to the massive painting of the building in the Main Hall area. Equip the Artist Arcana and press the on-screen prompt that appears when you approach the middle. You'll get a small cutscene before being transported to the entrance. Sadly, the cryptic puzzles don't end there; many more lie between you and the Notre Dame resident boss, and even beyond the castle walls.