The construction of the cathedral began in 1163 during Louis VII’s reign and during the episcopate of Maurice de Sully. The bishop had the cathedral built on the pre-existing St Etienne’s church, which was demolished after six century of existence. The cathedral was finished in 1345 and was dedicated to Mary, Jesus Christ’s mother.

The surrounding area of the cathedral is stunning. It is possible to take picture from every angle of it, from the bridges across the river, from the front yard, with the two main towers presiding over the image, from one side, and highlight the expressiveness of his famous gargoyles (grotesquely carved stone), or from the back, where they emphasize the high needle which crowned its “roof” and the result would be beautiful photos.

The interior is certainly not as impressive as the exterior to the uninitiated in art, but it is quite impressive enter the cathedral and placed in the aisle of the church facing the altar, having all its grandeur and immensity. Also, it must be noted that there is a museum with a treasure in the sacristy, which is accessed from inside the church.

The cathedral of Notre Dame was the protagonist of many important events of the history of France. As regard coronations, Henry VI of England and Napoleón Bonaparte were crowned here. Also, Joan of Arc was beatified in 1909 in this cathedral.

As regard to the structural point of view, the cathedral has a Latin cross plan, a front of 40 feet wide, a length of 130 meters and a maximum height of 69 meters. For statistics’ lovers, the cathedral has 5 naves, 37 chapels, 3 rosettes with diameter of 13.5 meters each and a total of 113 windows. It is not the biggest cathedral of France, but it is surely the most remarkable Gothic style masterpiece.

The façade has three portals. The most important portal, situated in the middle, is the Last Judgement portal and has sculptures that represents the resurrections of the dead an angel with a balance that weights virtues and sins and demons that takes sinful souls. These images would count a lot among the lay people of the Middle Age. The minor portals are dedicated to Virgin Mary and her mother, Saint Anne.

On the portals there are twenty-eight statues that represents the kings of Iudaea that reigned before the arrival of Christ. They are 3,5 metres high but they are not the originals, as they were destroyed during the French Revolution, as it was thought that they represented the French kings.

On the central portal, the rosette of 10 metres of diameter stands out. A line of columns is situated on the rosette and finally two towers complete the west façade.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame is impressive and definitely deserves to be visited. It is a majestic example of faith’s expression in Middle Ages and how faith was perceived by people. Surely it is a privilege to rent a holiday accommodation in Paris city and to be close to Notre Dame, having the chance to visit it and taking it easy.

Situated on the Île de la Cité in the Seine, Notre Dame has captured the imagination of visitors for centuries. One of Paris’s oldest Cathedrals, construction began on Notre Dame in the 12th Century under the auspices of the city’s first Bishop, Maurice de Sully, who was integral in the Cathedral’s lofty design as a replacement for the former Saint Stephen’s.

Building work on the Cathedral spanned three centuries, with the foundation stone historically placed by Pope Alexander III in 1163. Its style was of the time in the then-titled Ogival style, now renowned as French Gothic architecture. The precise and intricate designs have led Notre Dame to be considered one of the world’s finest examples of French Gothic architecture today.

The Cathedral was also one of the first buildings in the world where flying buttresses were employed as structural support. The iconic structures appear around the Cathedral’s nave and choir section and were added to support the tall, thin walls, which suffered numerous stress fractures over the years of construction and development.

The architectural style of Notre Dame also bears several other influences, not least those of its numerous architects, whose varying approaches can be seen in the four styles of construction of the West-facing twin towers.

Absorbing nuanced design elements from its construction during the influential Renaissance period, which reigned from the 14th to the 17th century, Notre Dame also bears the hallmarks of Naturalism in its 19th Century renovation work, as well as numerous other artistic streams, which can be witnessed in the Cathedral’s paintings, sculptures and stained glass.

Although Notre Dame was severely damaged during the French Revolution in the 1790s, the Cathedral was restored to its present glory by famed French restoration architect, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th Century.

Today the Cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Paris and welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, not to mention its congregation who attend regular Mass and services, daily. Mass is held four times a day at the cathedral and you can also attend daily evening Vesper services for free. Sunday boasts a full schedule of services and Mass with worshippers of all faiths invited to attend, reflect or pray privately.

Notre Dame is easy to reach using Paris’s integrated transport system, whether via the Metro, train, bus or on foot. Free tours are available daily, which last for approximately one hour and you can also enjoy discovering more about the Cathedral’s rich history through complimentary audio tours. In addition, the Cathedral’s Treasury is open to the public for a small fee and holds some of the Cathedral’s most prized religious possessions, which include furniture, paintings and decorative pieces from the neo-gothic 17th and 18th Centuries.

Notre Dame’s iconic twin West-facing towers are also open for further investigation, offering spectacular views of Paris’s 4th arrondissment as well as further afield. In the North Tower, you can marvel at the Cathedral’s 13 ton Emmanuel bell, or, from the external Portico, gain access to Notre Dame’s mysterious Crypt, which houses the original archaeological site of Paris’s ancient Roman ruins.

Like many who visit Paris, you too could find a trip to the Notre Dame de Paris an unforgettable experience. You could even look for nearby Paris hotels, which boast views of the romantic Cathedral, making it even easier to reach on foot during the day or night.

Situated on a small island called the Ile de la Cite in the middle of River Seine, its official name is The Notre Dame de Paris, but is often known simply as Notre Dame and is a Gothic cathedral that took nearly 200 years to be complete.  It was first started in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII, but did not get finished until around 1345.

Even though Notre Dame had held many important events, such as Henry VI of England being crowned King of France in 1431, over the years it fell into disrepair.  But it was Napoleon that saved the church from demolition back in 1802 and then he got crowned Emperor here in 1804, however it was still in a very bad state of disrepair.

We are sure you have heard of the novel by Victor Hugo called the Hunchback of Notre Dame and this particular story was what brought people together to raise money for its restoration, which managed to bring it virtually back to its former glory.

And in fact, following the start of World War II, it was feared that German bombers could destroy the stained glass windows so they were removed and restored at the end of the war and one particular round stained glass window, called the Rose Window, was the biggest window in the world when it was produced back in the 13th century, and it still contains its original medieval glass.

Notre Dame translates as Our Lady and this monument in Paris is still used as a Roman Catholic cathedral for Sunday mass, is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris and is utilised for major events when the famous bell is rung.  But instead of manpower the bell is now rung automatically and by taking a climb up the spiral staircase, you can get to see this enormous bell that was saved from being melted down.

Also when climbing to the bell tower and further you can see the flying buttress style used in the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral along with the gargoyles on the outside of the building, designed to ward of evil spirits plus going further you get an excellent view of the city but it is around 140 more steps.

Now it is obvious that every cathedral has an organ, but Notre Dame has actually had several, although the first ones were far too inadequate and the first sensible organ was installed in the early 1700’s with some of the original pipe work remaining today. 

But one of the old cathedral organs can be viewed at the Musee de Notre Dame de Paris, along with the music scores, notes and some personal articles that are on display from Louis Vierne, the famous cathedral organist and the museum is only one street away from the cathedral.  Although small it is fascinating and holds extremely old, interesting documents such as drawings, plans and engravings, which reveal the mysteries and various development stages of the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral plus it recounts life in the City from Lutecia before it was known as Paris.

Also, in the square to the front of Notre Dame there is a plaque put in place by André Michelin, founder of the Michelin tyre business and it is from this point that all distances in France are measured. 

Open every day of the year, The Notre Dame de Paris is free to enter although there is a charge to venture up the tower, which is accessed on the outside of the church on the left hand side when looking at the main entrance of the cathedral.

You can also have a guided visit, which is organised by the cathedral staff itself and these are conducted in different languages on different days of the week.  For instance the English guided tours are provided on a Wednesday at 2pm, Thursday at 2pm and a Saturday at 2.30pm.  Other language tours such as Spanish, Russian, Japanese, etc are held at different times, but any of these can be cancelled if there is a special occasion, so it always worth checking with staff on site, or telephoning prior.

So whether you are going for pilgrimage or just as a tourist, this fascinating building that has become a famous landmark in Paris, is not to be missed on your holiday in France.