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Why you'll love the Notre Dame Cathedral
Recognized by most from Victor Hugo’s novel, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, this cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic architecture. With its flying buttresses, pointed arches, and rosette widows, Notre Dame dominates its spot on the Seine.
To this day, many Parisians claim that they have never seen the cathedral without a scaffold, but the sight you will behold as you stand in front of the clean and beautiful facade will surly impress you.
Accepting over 40,000 people a day, this cathedral offers confession in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portugeese, Arabic, and now, Japanese. If you are interested, call a few days before to check which priests are available for the day of your visit.
A little
bit of history about Notre Dame Cathedral
Because of Paris’ growing population, the Bishop of Paris decided to build a new cathedral in the 1100’s. Taking over 180 years to build, the Bishop and the original architect were unfortunately unable to see the cathedral they had created.
Take RER B or C to SAINT MICHEL NOTRE DAME and use exit [3] Notre Dame. It will be on the other side of the Seine River.
You can also take Metro 4 to SAINT MICHEL and use exit Fontaine Saint Michel. Turn around and cross over the Seine River. Then take a right on Quai du Marché Neuf. It will be ahead of you.
If you do plan a visit, the entrance to the church is free but if you would like to climb the 422 steps up to the bell tower, it costs €7.50 for adults, €4.80 for those under 26 and free for those under 18.
You can find the entrance to the bell tower on the outside of the cathedral and to its left.
Because it was built in a time of illiteracy, the story of the Bible is told through the statues in the archways, the paintings, and the stained-glass windows. During the French Revolution, some people mistook the statues over the doorways as statues of the King and in the heat of the revolution, tore them down. (Some of these statues have fortunately been found, but not only in the 1970’s!) Years after the French Revolution, Napoleon III crowned himself emperor and his wife empress here in Notre Dame.
In the 19th century, writers like Victor Hugo and artists such as Dominique Ingres brought attention to the decay of the cathedral. Great interest was then taken in the effort to preserve the cathedral.
