Visit Notre Dame in Paris

Place to see in Paris : Notre Dame

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Notre Dame Cathedral Paris

After 500 years of alterations Notre Dame Cathedral has been restored and is with the Eiffel Tower the most visited monument in Paris. It is located on the Ile de la Cité, a small island in the heart of the Paris. The historic heart of Paris... The site of the Notre dame is indeed the cradle of Paris and had been the religious center of the city. The Celts had their sacred ground here, the Romans built a temple to worship Jupiter. Sully started the construction in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII. The Cathedral was built in a new gothic style and had to reflect Paris status as the capital of the Kingdom of France. It was the first cathedral built on a monumental scale and became the prototype for future cathedrals in France, like the cathedrals of the Cathedrals of Amiens, Chartres or Reims and also Saint Denis (Northern suburb of Paris). It took until 200 years to complete the building of Notre Dame de Paris, due to its huge dimension and also to the enormous cost of it. The result is an amazing building, 130m long with two 69 meters tall towers. The spire, which reaches 90m, was added in the XIXth century. Notre Dame has several large rose windows, the northern 13th century window is the most impressive by its details and by its size ... 20 meters high. Other places to see in Paris listed on this website : Saint Germain des Pres :: Champs Elysees

Notre Dame in Paris :: Place to visit

Recommended tour including Notre Dame : Best of Paris

History of Notre Dame

1163 : the first stone of the present cathedral was laid by Bishop Maurice de Sully
1182 : The High (Main Altar) Altar was consecrated, the ancient cathedral was progressively pulled down as the works of the nave were undertaken.
1200-1245 : The façade was erected.
1250-1270 : The transept was enlarged; the north and south rose windows were installed.
1300-1351 : The carved stone walls surrounding the choir were built.
1699-1723 : The gothic choir was replaced by a baroque one.
1792-1793 : Due to the French Revolution, the cathedral was closed. Paintings and statues were taken away, metal objects were also taken to be melted down. The full-length statues from either side of the doorways and those of the Kings of Judah were broken into pieces.
1801 : Thanks to the Concordat with Rome, cathedral was rededicated to the Catholic Church for services.
1845-1864 : The cathedral was completely restored by two French architects: Lassus and Viollet-le-Duc.

Useful resources : Notre Dame Pictures :: Official Website :: Hotels close to Notre Dame

Visit Notre Dame in Paris

Best of Paris in one Day : This tour will give you the unique opportunity to discover Paris, its history and its major landmarks including: Place de l'Opera, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triumph, Place du Trocadero, Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Pont Neuf, Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, Luxembourg Gardens and Saint-Germain des Pres and much more! See the places to see and do the things to do in Paris during your stay. Thank you for your visit.