


Its facade looks toward the west and overlooking the square Notre Dame, where the zero point from which all distances are in France. It is surrounded by the river Seine, with gardens front and rear. It is located in the eastern part of the Ile de la Cité that by their defensive situation is giving rise to the city of Paris. Is notable for its large size, the regularity of its elegant design and the introduction of a new technical element, the flying buttress. Like most Gothic cathedrals, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Particularly emphasizes its magnificent Cavaillé-Coll organ, In 1804 he was crowned in the cathedral Napoleon Bonaparte in 1909 and was beatified Joan of Arc. His poetic illustration of the architecture of the cathedral enabled many to discover a different way. Victor Hugo wrote in his 1831 novel “Notre Dame de Paris”. More recently, in 1965, excavations under the cathedral revealed the existence of the catacombs of Roman and medieval rooms.

The cathedral underwent many changes and restorations, the most significant undertaken in 1844 by Viollet-le-Duc and Baptiste Lassus, which lasted 23 years. Thus, the building was done without interruption because of economic problems, but only ended in mid-fourteenth century, after many changes and interventions by different architects and craftsmen. The construction coincided with a period of prosperity and increasing dominance of the city, so the work should reflect this power. While not the largest cathedral in France, is one of his most remarkable Gothic art.īishop Maurice de Sully began construction of the new cathedral from 1163 on the site occupied by a former church dedicated to St. The reopening of the cathedral to visitors is planned for the end of 2024.Notre Dame de Paris is undoubtedly one of the symbols of the city. Restoration started soon after, and it is expected that Viollet-le-Duc’s spire will be rebuilt by the end of 2023.

On March 15, 2019, a catastrophic fire engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral and destroyed the central spire, the centuries-old wooden roof and much of the interior. The cathedral was restored again between 19, this time the historic architecture was carefully preserved. Viollet-le-Duc made drastic, controversial modifications to the building and even added a spire. The twenty-year-long restoration was led by a local architect, Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. It wasn’t until the nineteenth century before the Cathedral was fully restored thanks in part to the writer Victor Hugo, who with his book ‘Notre-Dame de Paris’, made the Parisians realize the cathedral was worth restoring.
