Cathédrale Notre-Dame
باريس
Notre-Dame is the Gothic cathedral of the Île de la Cité, begun in 1163. Wounded by fire in 2019, it reopened on 7 December 2024.
A cathedral born on the island
Maurice de Sully, head of the Church in Paris, had the cathedral begun in 1163. Building lasted almost two centuries, until about 1345. Notre-Dame means "Our Lady": the church is dedicated to Mary.
In the 1800s the cathedral was in poor shape. The architect Viollet-le-Duc restored it for many years and designed a new spire.
What to look at from the square
The front is divided into three levels. At the bottom open three great doorways full of statues. Above runs a row of carved kings, then a great round window of coloured glass. At the top rise the two towers, 69 metres tall.
Now look along the sides. You will see stone arches that push against the walls and hold them up.
Fire and rebirth
On the evening of 15 April 2019 a fire destroyed the wooden roof and the spire. The whole city stopped to watch. The work took five years, and the cathedral reopened on 7 December 2024.
The square in front, the parvis, is so wide thanks to Baron Haussmann. In the 1800s he had the old narrow houses pulled down. They almost touched the front of the cathedral.
