The heart of the country, both geographically and spiritually, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame (Our Lady) stands majestic on the Ile de la Cité. After Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone in 1163, an army of craftsmen toiled for 170 years to realize Bishop Maurice de Sully’s magnificent design. Almost destroyed during the Revolution, the Gothic masterpiece was restored in 1841–64 by architect Viollet-le-Duc. Some 130 m (430 ft) in length with a high-vaulted nave and double side aisles, it also contains France’s largest organ.
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Cathedral GuideEnter through the West Front. The stairs to the towers are outside to your left. Ahead, the central nave soars to a height of 35 m (115 ft), while 37 side chapels line the walls. These contain the “May” paintings by Charles le Brun, donated by the goldsmiths’ guild each May in the 17th–18th centuries. The fine transept across the nave is the best place to admire the three rose windows. Remnants of the 14th-century stone screen can be seen on the north and south bays of the chancel. Nicolas Coustou’s Pietà stands behind the high altar, flanked by statues of Louis XIII by Coustou and Louis XIV by Antoine Coysevox. |
Notre-Dame seen from the River Seine
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Statue of the Virgin and Child
Also known as Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris), this beautiful 14th-century statue was brought to the cathedral from the chapel of St Aignan. It stands against the southeast pillar of the transept, at the entrance to the chancel.
Choir Stalls
More than half of the original stalls commissioned by Louis XIV survive. Among the beautifully carved work on the 78 stalls are scenes from the Life of the Virgin.
Treasury
Ancient manuscripts, reliquaries and religious garments are housed in the sacristy. The Crown of Thorns and a piece of the True Cross are on public view every Good Friday.
François II and Mary Stuart
Mary Stuart (1542–87) (Mary Queen of Scots) had been raised in France and married the Dauphin in 1558. He ascended the throne as François II in 1559 and the king and queen were crowned in Notre-Dame.
Philip the Fair
In 1302 the first States General parliament was formally opened at Notre-Dame by Philip IV (1268–1314), otherwise known as Philip the Fair. He greatly increased the governing power of the French royalty.
Henry VI of England
Henry VI (1421–71) became King of England at the age of one. Like his father, Henry V, he also claimed France and was crowned in Notre-Dame in 1430.
Marguerite of Valois
In August 1572, Marguerite (1553–1589), sister of Charles IX, stood in the Notre-Dame chancel during her marriage to the protestant Henri of Navarre (1553–1610), while he stood alone by the door.
Henri of Navarre
As a Protestant Huguenot, Henri’s marriage to the Catholic Marguerite resulted in uprising and massacres. In 1589 he became Henri IV, the first Bourbon king of France, and converted to Catholicism, declaring that “Paris is well worth a mass”.
Charles de Gaulle
On 26 August 1944, Charles de Gaulle entered Paris and attended a Te Deum service to celebrate the liberation of Paris, despite the fact that hostile snipers were still at large both inside and outside the cathedral.
By 1831, when Victor Hugo’s novel Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) was published, the cathedral was in a sorry state of decay. Even for the crowning of Emperor Napoleon in 1804, the setting for such ceremonious state occasions was crumbling and had to be disguised with wall hangings and ornamentation. During the Revolution, the cathedral was even sold to a scrap dealer, but was never actually demolished. Hugo was determined to save the country’s spiritual heart and helped mount a successful campaign to restore Notre-Dame before it was too late; the man chosen to design and oversee the restoration was Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (1814–1879). Paris-born, Viollet-le-Duc had already proved his skill in restoration work, as evidenced by the cathedrals in Amiens and Laon, and on the spectacular walled city of Carcassone in southern France. Work began in 1841 and continued for 23 years until the building was finished more or less as we see it today. Viollet-le-Duc later went on to restore Sainte-Chapelle nearby.
Novelist Victor Hugo Top 10 Events in Notre-Dame History
Construction on the cathedral begins (1163)
St Louis places the Crown of Thorns here temporarily (1239)
Construction is completed (1334)
Re-trial of Joan of Arc (1455)
Crowning of Emperor Napoleon (1804)
Publication of Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831)
Completion of 23-year restoration programme (1864)
Assassination attempt on Charles de Gaulle (1944)
De Gaulle’s Requiem Mass is held (1970)
Visit of Pope John Paul II (1980)