Place du Parvis Notre-Dame
Métro Cité, St Michel
Tel: 01 43 26 07 39
Open:
8:00 am - 7:00 pm everyday (free)
and 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
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Built on
a site sacred since Roman times (a temple of Jupiter was
once built on the Ile de la Cité), Notre-Dame Cathedral
is a masterpiece of gothic architecture in France. The
first stone was lain by the bishop of Paris, Maurice de
Sully, in 1163. The construction and design were done by
the best artisans and directed by Jean de Chelles and
Pierre de Montreuil, and the church was completed around
1345. The principal altar was erected in 1182 and the
chancel in 1177, while the nave was not finished until
the beginning of the 13th century. The cathedral was
greatly damaged during the Revolution, but was restored
in the 19th century by Viollet le Duc starting in 1841.
The spires and the sacristy date from this era. Façade:
The
façade of the cathedral is composed of several levels,
crowning the three great portals: the Portal of the Last
Judgement, the Portal to the Virgin, and the Portal to
Saint Anne. Above this is the Gallery of Kings,
consisting of the statues of 28 kings of Judah and
Israel, reworked by Viollet le Duc after their
destruction during the Revolution.
The Rose Window, 10 meters in diameter, is separated into
three circles, each of which is subdivided into 12 and 24
parts. In front of it stands the statue of the Virgin
Mary carrying the Baby Jesus; Mary is the patron saint of
the cathedral.
The Great Gallery, a line of arches, links
Notre Dame's two towers. Viollet le Duc placed statues of
fantastic monsters and animals here at the buttress
corners.
The towers stretch up a full 69 meters (over 75 yards).
The south tower houses the large bell
"Emmanuel", weighing 13 metric tons (over
28,000 pounds). The clapper alone weighs 500 kilograms -
1, 100 pounds! This bell is Notre-Dame's oldest: it is
said that when it was recast in 1631, women threw their
jewelry into the metal, giving the bell its unique, pure
tone.
Interior:
The
cathedral itself is 130 m long, 48 m wide, and 35 m tall,
and indisputably a masterpiece of Gothic art. The central
nave where churchgoers come to service is surrounded by
29 choirs.
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