Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris, often called Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is a famous example of French Gothic architecture. It has special features like the rib vault, flying buttress, colorful rose windows, and detailed sculptural work.

Construction started in 1163 and was mostly done by 1260, with changes over the years. During the French Revolution, the cathedral was damaged, but later repairs restored it. Important events, such as the coronation of Napoleon and the Liberation of Paris in 1944, happened here. A big fire in April 2019 caused damage, but the cathedral reopened in December 2024.

Today, Notre-Dame is a symbol of Paris and France, visited by many people each year. It holds important religious items, such as the crown of thorns and a piece of the True Cross, and is an important part of the city's history and culture. Since 1905, it has been owned by the French government and is the home of the archbishop of Paris.

Key dates

Notre-Dame de Paris is very old. Building started in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully. By 1200, the main part of the church, called the nave, was finished. It had special supports named flying buttresses.

The cathedral changed over time. In 1699, the inside was made more fancy. During the French Revolution in 1790, some valuable things were taken away. In 1804, Napoleon had an important ceremony there. A large repair job happened from 1844 to 1864. In 2019, a fire hurt the roof, but it was fixed, and the cathedral opened again in 2024.

History

Before Christianity in France came, a Gallo-Roman temple for the god Jupiter may have stood where Notre-Dame now is. In the 4th or 5th century, an early Christian church called the Cathedral of Saint Étienne was built there.

In 1160, the bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, decided to build a bigger church in the Gothic style. Building started in March 1163. The choir was finished by 1177, and the high altar was ready in 1182. Over many years, Notre-Dame changed with new parts added, like transepts and flying buttresses.

During the French Revolution, Notre-Dame was taken and some treasures were lost. It was given back to the Church by Napoleon Bonaparte. In the 1800s, architects Jean-Baptiste Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc helped fix up the church.

In 2019, a fire burned the wooden roof and flèche of the cathedral. The main building, its front, towers, and stained-glass windows were saved. Work to fix it started right away, and the cathedral opened again on 7 December 2024.

Towers and the flèche

Main article: Spire of Notre-Dame de Paris

The two towers of Notre-Dame are very tall, measuring 69 metres (226 ft). They were the last big parts of the cathedral to be built. The south tower was made first, from 1220 to 1240. The north tower was built a little later, from 1235 to 1250. The north tower is slightly bigger than the south tower. Inside these towers are the cathedral’s main bells.

The cathedral also has a flèche, or small spire, in the middle of the church. The first flèche was built in the 1200s but had to be removed in 1786 because it was getting weak from the wind. In the 1800s, a new flèche was made from oak and covered in lead. On top of this flèche was a special weathervane shaped like a rooster. This rooster is important to France and was placed to help protect the church. The flèche also had small statues of important religious figures.

The current flèche was put back up in December 2023, and a new golden rooster weathervane was added. The new rooster holds special holy items and the names of people who helped rebuild the cathedral.

Iconography

See also: List of sculptures in Notre-Dame de Paris

The Gothic cathedral was like a "poor people's book." It had many sculptures that told biblical stories to people who could not read. The sculptures on the outside were once brightly painted to catch the eye. The main door shows scenes from the Last Judgment, where good Christians go to heaven.

The outside of the cathedral also had funny and scary sculptures called grotesques, including gargoyles and chimera. Gargoyles were not just for looks—they were rain spouts that helped water run away from the building. Sadly, many of the original statues were lost or destroyed over the years and were replaced during a big restoration in the 1800s.

• Illustration of the Last Judgment, central portal of west façade
• The martyr Saint Denis, holding his head, over the Portal of the Virgin
• The serpent tempts Adam and Eve; on the Portal of the Virgin
• Archangel Michael and Satan weighing souls during the Last Judgment (central portal, west façade)
• A strix on the west façade
• Gargoyles were the rainspouts of the cathedral
• Chimera on the façade
• Allegory of alchemy, central portal
• Ecclesia and Synagoga, statues on each side of the west façade

Stained-glass windows

The stained-glass windows of Notre-Dame are some of its most famous features, especially the three rose windows. The west rose window is the smallest and was made first around 1225. The two larger rose windows on the north and south sides were made later, around 1250 and 1260. The south rose window, given by King Louis IX of France, is the largest and shows scenes from the life of Christ and important saints.

These windows have changed over time. Some were damaged and later fixed, while others were made again in the 19th century to look like the original designs. After a serious fire, the main rose windows survived, though some needed care to keep them safe.

Burials and crypts

Notre-Dame de Paris was built without a crypt. People were buried directly on the floor or in special stone boxes above the ground. Important leaders and some royalty were buried near the altar. Others were buried in different parts of the church. Over time, many tombs were changed or covered during renovations.

In the 1700s, small spaces under the church were made for burying important church leaders. These spaces are called crypts. During these projects, an old pillar from the 1st century was found. Some tombs were rediscovered in the 1800s when the crypts were expanded. A few remaining medieval tombs can still be seen today.

See also: Category:Burials at Notre-Dame de Paris

Main article: Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul II

Great organ

Notre-Dame has a famous organ that dates back to 1403. Over time, it was rebuilt and improved many times. Today, the organ has 115 stops and more than 8,000 pipes, making it one of the largest and most impressive organs in the world.

The position of chief organist at Notre-Dame is very important in France. Many talented musicians have held this job over the centuries, bringing beautiful music to the cathedral. After a fire in 2019, the organ needed some repairs. It was cleaned, tuned, and ready to play again by 2024.

Music

During the late 1200s and early 1300s, while the Gothic cathedral was being built, Notre-Dame de Paris became an important place for music. It was the home and main center of the Notre-Dame school of polyphony, a style of music that used many voices singing together.

Bells

Main article: Bells of Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris has ten bells. The two largest, Emmanuel and Marie, are in the south tower. The other eight bells are in the north tower. These bells are made of bronze and ring for special events.

In medieval times, bells were blessed and named by the bishop of Paris. They were placed in wooden belfries to protect the stone walls. Today, the bells still mark the hours and call to prayer, a tradition from the 14th century. Some smaller bells were lost in a fire in 2019.

Clock

The first clocks at Notre-Dame used water to tell the time. They were linked to the bells. In 1766, a mechanical clock was donated and placed under the north rose window. In the 1800s, a new, larger clock was made and placed inside the cathedral. This clock was destroyed in the 2019 fire, but a matching one was found that might help build a new one for Notre-Dame.

See also: Bells of Notre-Dame de Paris § Striking clock

Ownership

Notre-Dame was owned by the archbishop of Paris and the Catholic Church until the French Revolution. In 1789, it became property of the French state. The Church could use the cathedral again later, but the state kept ownership. Laws from the 1800s and the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State made sure the government would take care of the cathedral, while the Church could still use it for services.