Paris and France, as well as the world, have been preoccupied with the massive fire incident that swept through one of the most important historical and tourist attractions in the world, the Notre Dame Cathedral located in the heart of the French capital. This great international interest in the accident comes in view of the prominent cultural era represented by Notre Dame, France, Europe and the world, and from being one of the most famous tourist attractions that millions of visitors in the world. In the following, we will remember details and information about the most famous cathedrals in the world, Notre Dame in Paris, which made it occupy this important center in tourism, culture and history …
A rich history
The cathedral is one of the most visited monuments not only in Paris or France, but in the whole world. It is located in Ile de la Cite, in the center of the French capital, and it represents the largest embodiment of French Gothic engineering. There is no doubt that her fame increased a lot since the creation of the literary work of the month “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” written by the great Victor Hugo, in which the most important events of the novel take place.
It was erected at the site of the construction of the first church in Paris, which is the “Basilica of Saint Stephen”, which was in turn built on the ruins of the Romen Temple of Jupiter.
In 1163, Pope Alexander III laid the first stone in the construction of the cathedral alongside King Louis VII. It took about 100 years to build the first section of the cathedral, and by the first section we mean the iconic tower and the famous towers. As for the year 1250, a second stage of construction began with the aim of changing sections of the facade of the cathedral that had been built according to the Romen engineering style, and to make it closer to Gothic engineering. It took many years to complete this phase, and it ended in the middle of the fourteenth century. In the 1790s, Notre Dame witnessed assaults during the French Revolution, and most of its religious paintings were damaged or destroyed. Soon after the publication of Victor Hugo’s novel Hunchback, in 1831, public interest in the building was renewed.
Restoration and celebrations
In 1845 major restoration work on the building under the direction of Eugene Gualle-le-Duc began and lasted for twenty-five years. Starting in 1963, the facade of the cathedral was cleaned of soot and dirt that had accumulated for centuries, and was restored to its original color. Another clean-up and restoration campaign took place from 1991 to 2000.
Until yesterday, religious festivals are still held in the cathedral, as are very important events that accommodate 9,000 people and receive about 13 million visitors annually. As for entering the cathedral, since the behavior of the doors, the wonderful decorations that decorate the walls, mosaics and stained glass that decorate the windows and other parts of the walls will clearly appear. On top, we will find the ceiling of the church, which takes the curved shape in a wonderful view. Visitors can also see the basement, which was established in 1965 to include a large number of building remains of the church that were left throughout history, with explanations for each of them and important historical details.
As for going up to the top of the cathedral and passing by 387 degrees on the stairs, you will see the bells of the cathedral and then enjoy an amazing panoramic view of the city of lights, Paris …
Visit information before the fire
Cathedral building: Daily from 8:00 in the morning until 18:45 in the evening.
Cathedral Tower: From October to March from 10:00 in the morning to 17:30 in the evening, then in April to September in the 10:00 in the morning until 18:30 in the evening.
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Another view of the cathedral
The view of the cathedral
The famous towers
The cathedral receives millions of tourists annually
The cathedral at night
The cathedral is inside
Great engineering details
Another corner of the cathedral
Tourists in front of the cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
