Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral

Notre-Dame, Paris, Frankreich, France, Sehenswürdigkeit, Sights, Sightseeing — Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral

A true masterpiece of the Gothic and one of the most visited attractions in the city of Paris is the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. With its characteristic silhouette, it is located in the historic center of Paris on the eastern tip of the Seine island Île de la Cité. Here you can find information about the attraction.

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Notre-Dame de Paris Roman Catholic Church – Gothic churches

The Notre-Dame de Paris (“Our Lady of Paris”) cathedral is one of the earliest Gothic churches in France and is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris. Construction began in the middle ages of the 13th century, but was not completed until the 15th century. It was built in four construction phases from 1163 to 1345. It took over 200 years to build. In 1163, under Bishop Maurice de Sully and Louis VII, the construction of the choir and its two galleries began and was finally consecrated in 1182.

The middle third of the nave was created in the second construction phase by 1190. However, there was no closure to the west. It was not until the third construction phase from 1190 to 1225 that the lower floors of the west facade and the front third of the nave were built. The tower floors followed in the fourth construction phase from 1225 to 1250. Then modernizations and extensions took place until the middle of the 14th century.

Architects include Pierre de Montreuil, Jean Baptiste Antoine Lassus, Jean de Chelles, Jean Ravy Raymond du Temple, Pierre de Chelles and Jean le Bouteiller.

Notre Dame architecture

The two natural stone towers are 69 meters high and can also be visited. The climb is worth it, as you get a fantastic view of Paris from there. The interior of the nave is 130 meters long, 48 meters wide and 35 meters high. Its main axis is roughly parallel to the near left bank of the right arm of the Seine.
The church has a capacity of up to 10,000 people.

Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral

The building is also known for the grotesques (also called drolleries), the gargoyles. The mythical creatures can be found in the “Galerie des Chimères”. In addition, visitors admire the colorful church windows and rose windows, the towers and the steeple.

The cathedral naturally has a carillon. It had 20 bells until the French Revolution. Ten bells still hang in the towers today. Among other things, the 13,000 kg “Emmanuelle” bell in the south tower.

Throughout history – during the French Revolution – Notre-Dame was also badly damaged and subsequently rebuilt and restored. Unfortunately, the last damage was not long ago. The cathedral suffered severe damage in a major fire in April 2019. It should be reconstructed true to the original. Until then, Notre-Dame is not accessible to visitors.

Facts: Napoléon Bonaparte was crowned emperor in Notre Dame in 1804. The cathedral is also known from Victor Hugo’s historical novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”, published in 1831.