Sightseeing Paris

A cathedral embodying the history of France

The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was originally the dream of one man, Maurice de Sully, who was the bishop of Paris in 1160. His dream was eventually realised, but the construction of this gothic masterpiece was to last two centuries. Successive architects led the monstrous project, notably Jean de Chelles, and Pierre de Montreuil.
Completed around 1340, the cathedral has been the site of many major historical events, among them the depositing of Christ's Crown of Thorns by Saint-Louis in 1239, and the retrial and subsequent proclamation of innocence of Joan of Arc in 1456. In 1793, revolutionaries decapitated the 28 heads of a row of statues representing the kings of Israel and Judea, mistaking them to be that of the kings of France.
The main façade of Notre Dame consists of three portals, each with its own icon. One is the Virgin Mary, one is the Day of Judgement, and the third is Sainte-Anne. Above the portals are the towers, with a thirteen ton bell on one side and, on the other, 387 steps leading to a splendid view of Paris and l'île de la Cité. The gargoyles, with their monstrous heads, are the work of the architect Viollet-le-Duc, and lend a note of humour to the exterior.
Inside there are equally striking rose windows, exquisite stained glass, and sculpted bas-reliefs. Victor Hugo's novel, 'Notre Dame de Paris', published in 1831, completed the cathedral's immortalisation.

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See also: Le Piano Vache - La Fourmi Ailée - Île de la Cité - Le Wax - Pont Neuf

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