Crusaders prayed here before going to their Holy wars; Mary, Queen of Scots was married here and Napoleon crowned himself emperor here. Notre-Dame Cathedral is perhaps the most impressive Gothic cathedral, inspirational in its beauty and architecture.
Regarded by many as simply another tourist attraction, one of the 'sights' of Paris, it takes the loud pre-recorded voice commanding 'Silence!' to remind them that this is, indeed, primarily a house of worship.
The site of Notre-Dame was always regarded as sacred. In very early times the Celts held services here. The Romans built a temple dedicated to Jupiter on the island. After Christianity prevailed as the dominant religion Childebert dedicated a basilica here to St.Etienne. A Romanesque church stood on the site until 1163 when construction of Notre Dame began.
Maurice de Sully, the bishop of Paris, impressed by the Abbey of Saint-Denis, wanted to build a great church to confirm Paris' position as one of the dominant centers of Christendom. This would increase the prestige of the capital immensely, it was thought. The 12th century was an exciting time of increasing prosperity and power for France. Jerusalem had been snatched from Islam and the First Crusade was still going.
Quality stone was available near Paris and the work began. Maurice was a competent overseer who took charge of the construction, completing the choir, apse and chancel. The King, Louis VII encouraged and supported the construction, giving generous contributions.
Over the next five decades the north rose, transept facades and chapels of ambulatory were completed.
The Cathedral witnessed a scene of great grandeur when Mary, Queen of Scots, was married here in only sixteen she was called by an observer 'a hundred times more beautiful than a goddess in heaven' in her heavy blue velvet robes and golden coronet.
The Baroque style came into fashion during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV and the uplifting Gothic architecture of the great cathedral was regarded as old-fashioned. During this period some of the lovely stained glass was replaced with ordinary glass, tombs were destroyed and the interior was white-washed.
More destruction occurred during the Revolution when many features of the great Cathedral were stolen or defaced. Religion was regarded as elitist. The Church was part of the Establishment, used to sustain the power of the aristocracy. The gallery of Kings was smashed and the heads of the statues were distributed to the Paris communes. The interior was even used as a warehouse for the storage of food.
The Cathedral fell into disrepair until Victor Hugo who was only 28 wrote his wonderful novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. This was the tragic love story of the hunchback who lived in the cathedral and the beautiful and soft-hearted Esmeralda. Victor Hugo described the Cathedrals of the middle Ages as 'books of stone' and inspired people to become more interested in Notre-Dame.
One young architect, Viollet-le-Duc, impressed by the novel, devoted much of his life to the restoration of the cathedral. He restored the gallery of kings and the gargoyles and designed the lofty spire and sacristy. He also restored the interior, removing the white-washing.
As the great Victor Hugo wrote: "Each face, each stone of this venerable monument is not only a page of the history of the country, but also of the history of knowledge and art...."
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Lisa Sanderson is a talented contributor to Paris Eiffel Tower News. Hailing from "Down Under", she travels to Paris regularly and is crazy about the city. Reach her for professional writing jobs at
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