Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris stands on the Île de la Cité, in the 4^th arrondissement. Work began in 1163 at the initiative of Bishop Maurice de Sully and lasted nearly two centuries, until around 1345. The seat of the Archdiocese of Paris and dedicated to the Virgin, it reopened its doors in December 2024, five years after the fire that destroyed its roof and spire.

Before the Gothic cathedral

Plusieurs églises se sont succédé à cet emplacement : un édifice paléochrétien du IV^e siècle, une basilique mérovingienne, une cathédrale carolingienne puis romane. Sous le parvis, la crypte archéologique montre des vestiges gallo-romains et du haut Moyen Âge. On dit parfois qu’un temple de Jupiter occupait le site. C’est une tradition née de la découverte du pilier des Nautes en 1711, que les historiens tiennent aujourd’hui pour un mythe.

A history intertwined with that of the country

In 1239, the cathedral houses the Holy Crown of Thorns, acquired by Louis IX from the last Latin emperor of Constantinople. Napoleon I^er was crowned there in 1804, and a Magnificat was sung there at the liberation of Paris, in 1944. Victor Hugo's novel, published in 1831, weighed on its fate, and between 1845 and 1867 Eugène Viollet-le-Duc carried out a major restoration that gave it a new spire. On the forecourt lies the point from which the national roads radiating out of Paris begin.

The fire and the reconstruction

Le 15 avril 2019, vers 18 heures, le feu détruit la charpente du XIII^e siècle, la flèche et plusieurs voûtes. Environ 650 pompiers en viennent à bout le lendemain matin. Quelque 340 000 donateurs financent la reconstruction, menée à l’identique sous la direction de l’architecte Philippe Villeneuve. La cathédrale rouvre au public le 8 décembre 2024. La Sainte Couronne est désormais présentée dans un nouveau reliquaire, placé dans la chapelle axiale.

An energy site at the heart of the city

Even with the crowds at one of Europe's most visited monuments, Notre-Dame remains a major stop for energy-site enthusiasts. The daily services, the sung vespers and the light from the two great transept rose windows, among the largest in Europe, make it possible to find more contemplative moments. Tell us about your own visit beneath these vaults.