Place du Parvis Notre-Dame M° Cité,
St Michel Tel: 01 43 26 07 39 Open:
8.00 – 19.00 every day (paying tours take place 10.00 –
17.00) Constructed on a site that has been considered
sacred since Roman times, the cathedral of Notre-Dame is the masterpiece
of Gothic architecture in France. The first stone was laid by
the bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, in 1163.
The work carried out by the best craftsmen and directed by Jean
de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil would not be completed until
1345. The master altar was erected in 1182; the chancel was completed
in 1172; while the nave was only finished in the beginning of
the 13th century. The cathedral was partly destroyed during the
revolution but was restored in the 19th century by Viollet le
Duc from 1841.
The construction of the spire and the sacristy were also resumed
during this period.
The façade is divided into several stages which rise
above each of the great doors (the door of Final Judgement,
the door of the Virgin and the door of Saint Anne).
Just above can be seen the Gallery of Kings, composed of 28
statues of the kings of Juda and Israel, these were re-established
by Viollet le Duc, having been destroyed during the revolution.
Still further above is the rose, which measures 10 metres in
diameter and is surrounded by three circles which, in turn,
are divided in 12 and 24 parts.
Before the rose stands the statue of the Virgin Mary and child
(the cathedral of Notre-Dame being dedicated to the mother of
Christ). The great gallery is composed of arcades, which link
the two towers. In the corners of the buttresses one finds statues
of monsters and fantastic creatures which were designed by Viollet
le Duc. The towers rise to a height of 69 metres. The south
tower houses the great bell “Emmanuel” which weighs
13 tonnes, its hammer alone weighing 500kg.
This is the oldest bell in Notre-Dame, dating from 1631, and
legend has it that when the bell was being cast, women threw
their jewels into the molten iron – giving the bell its
unique sound.
THE INTERIOR:
The cathedral of Notre-Dame, 130m long, 48m wide and 35m tall is the jewel in the crown of Gothic art. The central nave where the faithful congregate to attend services is surrounded by chapels (29 in total).
4 bd du Palais (1er) M° Cité Tel: 01 43 54 30
09
Open:
April – September: 9.30 – 18.30
October – March: 10.00 – 17.00 every day (payment
on admission) The Sainte-Chapelle was commissioned by St. Louis
to provide a home for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the
True Cross. The construction of the chapel, begun in 1246 and
finished 1248, is attributed to Pierre de Montreuil. The spire
of the Sainte-Chapelle is not as high as that of Notre-Dame, but
reaches nonetheless a height of 75 metres.
It measures 36m in length, 17m in width, 42m in height and comprises two separate chapels. The lower chapel was created for the servants of the crown, and the upper chapel reserved for the royal family. The windows, covering a surface of 622m 2 date from the 13th century and were restored in the 19th. They depict a series of scenes from the Old to the New Testament.
Location: the hill of Montmartre,
in the north of Paris, rises to 129 metres above sea level. (metro:
Anvers)
History: the place-name Montmartre
comes from “the hill of the martyrs”, as traditionally
it is believed that this is the site where Saint Denis –
the first bishop of Paris (in the late 3rd century) – and
his companions were martyred. Many saints have visited the hilltop
[Saint Germain, Saint Clotilde, Saint Bernard, Saint Joan of Arc,
Saint Vincent de Paul…] and of course Saint Ignace de Loyola
and Saint Francis-Xavier, who founded the Company of Jesus (the
Jesuits) there in 1534. A great Benedictine abbey covered most
of the hill until the time of the French Revolution, when the
abbots were guillotined and the abbey destroyed. A village called
Saint Pierre subsisted there afterwards, but by the end of the
19th century, work had become scarce in this old plaster quarry. Historical context: In 1870:
war broke out between France and Germany. The Council of the Vatican
was broken up by the Pope who, no longer under the protection
of French troops, considered himself a prisoner in the City of
the Vatican. For the French, the war culminated in defeat, and
part of the country was occupied by German troops. Alexendre Legentil
and Hubert Rohault had a spiritual reaction to this turn of events,
and vowed to build a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart in penitence
for sins committed, as for them the suffering of France had spiritual
causes rather than political.
At the end of 1872 Cardinal Guibert, archbishop of Paris, gave
his approval to the project and chose Montmartre as the site for
the church. The following year he succeeded in having a law passed
in the Assemblée Nationale that made the Basilica a public
amenity, which allowed the site to be made ready for the construction
of the church.
At the time, the construction of a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart was in contrast to a series of other basilicas that were being built during the same period: Lourdes, Notre-Dame de Fourvière in Lyon, Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille…
Finance: The necessary works were financed by
donations from all over France – often modest donations
– but the name of each contributor was carved into the stone
of the church.
For more information : category "Monuments/Buildings".
Of course, Paris has many more monuments to offer, such as
the Unmissable Attractions
or the palaces. Enjoy
your visit!