Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the most famous buildings in France, and possibly the most famous cathedral in the world, having been immortalised by Victor Hugo's novel 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame.'
The cathedral lies at the very centre of the city. A small plaque in the ground outside the front of the cathedral marks Point Zero, the place from which all distances in France are measured.
Work on this wonderful example of French Gothic architecture began in 1163 by order of Bishop Maurice de Sully and was not completed until 1345. The hugh building measures 130m length, with its two towers measuring 69m in height.
The cathedral has three 13th century rose windows, of which the North and South are of note, particularly the 12.9m wide South Rose Window - which was a gift from King Saint Louis.
At the southeast pillar of the transept stands a 14th century statue of the Virgin with Child which is venerated by the faithful and simply called 'Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris).
Behind the high altar, which was commissioned by Louis XIII who promised to erect a high altar in honour of the virgin if she would bestow upon him an heir, is a marble Pieta by Nicolas Coustou and a statue of Louis XIII.
You can climb to the top of the facade between the towers from where you can take a closer look at the famous gargoyles. From here you can climb to the top of the south tower for spectacular views of Paris and visit the 17th century Emmanuel Bell, rang by the hunchback Quasimodo in Victor Hugo's novel.
The building suffered from vandalism during the French revolution, when in 1793 it was briefly turned into the 'Temple of Reason.' Much of the cathedral's facade and many of its statues were destroyed about this time.
Looking at this magnificent building today it is hard to imagine that in the early 19th century it was being considered for demolition. Thankfully, sense prevailed and the 19th century architect Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, was commissioned to restore the cathedral to its former grandeur.
Address
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
6 Parvis Notre-Dame
Place Jean-Paul II
75004 Paris
Cathedral
Price
Free
Opening Times
8am to 6:45pm (Mon - Fri)
8am to 7:15pm (Sat & Sun)
Tower:
Price: 7.50 Euro
Opening Times:
1 Apr - 31 May: 10am - 6:30pm
1 Jun - 31 Aug: Mon - Fri 10am - 6:30pm
1 Jun - 31 Aug: Sat & Sun 10am - 11pm
1 Sep - 30 Sep : 10am - 6:30pm
1 Oct - 31 Mar: 10am - 5:30pm
The Tower (not the church) is closed: 1 Jan, 1 May & 25 Dec
How to Get There
Métro: Cité - line 4
External Links
Offical Site for Notre-Dame de Paris
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