Notre Dame de Paris (also known as Notre Dame Cathedral), is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern side of the Île de la Cité. It is located in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. Notre Dame de Paris is extensively one of the premium examples of French Gothic architecture in France and even in Europe. “Notre Dame” means “Our Lady” in French, and is commonly used in the names of Catholic Church establishments in Francophone countries.
Notre Dame de Paris was among the first structures to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports). The structure was not originally planned to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. The cathedral suffered vandalism and defilement during the drastic phase of the French Revolution in 1790, where much of its religious images were damaged and destroyed. But during the 19th century, a general restoration project was implemented, returning the cathedral to its original state.
What is interesting with the cathedral is its west front, where two 69-meter tall towers rise. The South Tower dwells the cathedral’s famous bell, “Emmanuel”. The bell weighs 13 metric tons; its clapper alone weighs 500 kg. The great bourdon bell is Notre-Dame’s oldest. There are four additional bells on wheels in the North Tower, which are sway chimed. These bells were once rung in manual manner, but are presently rung by electric motors, when it was realized that the sizes of the bell could vibrate its entire building. It threatened its integrity and they were taken out of use.
The Galeries des Chimères or Grand Gallery joins the two west towers, and is where the cathedral’s legendary gargoyles (Chimères) are found. The King’s Gallery is a line of monuments of the 28 Kings of Judah and Israel, which was redesigned by Viollet-le-Duc to restore the statues broken during the French Revolution.
The three west portals of Notre Dame Cathedral are splendid examples of early Gothic art. The central west portal depicts the Last Judgement, with Christ emphasized less as judge and more as the suffering saviour of humanity. The right west portal, which is the Portal of St. Anne, was the first of the three portals to be installed. It shows the Virgin and Child on a throne, accompanied by two censing angels, a bishop and his assistant and a king. The left west portal was the Portal of the Virgin, dedicated to the patroness of the cathedral and is usually the exit door for modern tourists. It features the Coronation of the Virgin, with an angel crowning Mary while Christ blesses her and gives her a sceptre.
There are stained glass windows of the Notre-Dame that were very gorgeous. Notre-Dame’s collection of stained glass is not as remarkable compared to other French cathedrals but still remain an important and beautiful work of 13th century Gothic art, with exciting details worth exploring. The highlight of its original glass is set by three beautiful rose windows, which shined like diamonds and jewels over the west door and in the north and south transept.
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Being a devout Catholic myself, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is one of those destinations which I would love to visit someday. The fact that it remains to be an active church aside form being just a tourist destination makes it an even more sacred place. I think it would just give me goose bumps to be able to hear mass inside a church as great and as magnificent as the Notre Dame Cathedral. If the church even more beautiful than its pictures, I know for sure I would just be left in awe when I do get to visit.
I was part of the thousands of tourists who visits the Notre Dame Cathedral on a daily basis. I think there were even more people who visited the cathedral than the Eiffel Tower. I believe it is all worth it; it is already stunning from the outside but its amazingly even more stunning from the inside. My favorite sight in the Notre Dame Cathedral would definitely have to be the stained glass. I admire stained glass windows because they always give a mysterious yet romantic feeling to a certain room. The rose windows comes alive when the sun hits them. Heck I even imagined myself getting married there! I consider it a great privilege to have been able to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Because of its interior and exterior designs, including the exceptional stained glass windows, Notre Dame de Paris is the most popular monument in Paris. It even passed the popularity of Eiffel Tower. Victor Hugo, wrote a novel in 1831 as an appreciation of the Notre Dame. His novel was entitled “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and up to present, it is the all time favorite of our children.