Notre Dame Cathedral, France.

Notre-Dame de Paris, also called Notre-Dame

Cathedral, cathedral church in Paris. It is the most famous of
the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages and is distinguished for its
size, antiquity, and architectural interest.
Notre-Dame lies at the eastern end of the Île de la Cité and was built
on the ruins of two earlier churches, which were themselves predated
by a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. The cathedral was
initiated by Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris, who about 1160
conceived the idea of converting into a single building, on a larger
scale, the ruins of the two earlier basilicas. The foundation stone was
laid by Pope Alexander III in 1163, and the high altar
was consecrated in 1189. The choir, the western facade, and
the nave were completed by 1250, and porches, chapels, and other
embellishments were added over the next 100 years.
Notre-Dame Cathedral consists of a choir and apse, a short transept,
and a nave flanked by double aisles and square chapels. Its
central spire was added during restoration in the 19th century,
replacing the original, which had been completely removed in the 18th
century because of instability. The interior of the cathedral is 427 by
157 feet (130 by 48 metres) in plan, and the roof is 115 feet (35
metres) high. Two massive early Gothic towers (1210–50) crown the
western facade, which is divided into three stories and has its doors
adorned with fine early Gothic carvings and surmounted by a row of
figures of Old Testament kings. The two towers are 223 feet (68
metres) high; the spires with which they were to be crowned were
never added. At the cathedral’s east end, the apse has large clerestory
windows (added 1235–70) and is supported by single-arch flying
buttresses of the more daring Rayonnant Gothic style, especially
notable for their boldness and grace. The cathedral’s three great rose
windowsalone retain their 13th-century glass.
Notre-Dame Cathedral suffered damage and deterioration through the
centuries. After the French Revolution it was rescued from possible
destruction by Napoleon, who crowned himself emperor of the French
in the cathedral in 1804. Notre-Dame underwent major restorations by
the French architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc in the mid-19th
century. The popularity of Victor Hugo’s historical novel Notre-Dame
de Paris (1831), wherein the cathedral is the setting, was said to have
inspired the renovations. During a restoration campaign in 2019, a fire
broke out in the cathedral’s attic, and the massive blaze destroyed
most of the roof, Viollet-le-Duc’s 19th-century spire, and some of the
rib vaulting.

Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture, architectural style in Europe that lasted from the
mid-12th century to the 16th century, particularly a style of masonry
building characterized by cavernous spaces with the expanse of walls
broken up by overlaid tracery. In the 12th–13th centuries, feats of
engineering permitted increasingly gigantic buildings. The
rib vault, flying buttress, and pointed (Gothic) arch were used as
solutions to the problem of building a very tall structure while
preserving as much natural light as possible. Stained-glass window
panels rendered startling sun-dappled interior effects. One of the
earliest buildings to combine these elements into a coherent style was
the abbey of Saint-Denis, Paris (c. 1135–44). The High Gothic years
(c. 1250–1300), heralded by Chartres Cathedral, were dominated
by France, especially with the development of the Rayonnant style.
Britain, Germany, and Spainproduced variations of this style, while
Italian Gothic stood apart in its use of brick and marble rather than
stone. Late Gothic (15th-century) architecture reached its height in
Germany’s vaulted hall churches. Other late Gothic styles include the
British Perpendicular style and the French and Spanish Flamboyant
style.

Origins Of Interior Design

The art of interior design encompasses all of the fixed and movable
ornamental objects that form an integral part of the inside of any
human habitation. It is essential to remember that much of what today
is classified as art and exhibited in galleries and museums was
originally used to furnish interiors. Paintings were usually ordered by
size and frequently by subject from a painter who often practiced other
forms of art, including furniture design and decoration. Sculptors in
stone or bronze were often goldsmiths who did a variety of ornamental
metalwork. The more important artists had studios with assistants and
apprentices and often signed cooperative work. Many architects also
designed interiors, including the accessories—furniture, pottery,
porcelain, silver, rugs, and tapestries. Paintings often took the form of
cabinet pictures, framed to be hung on a wall in a particular position,
such as over a door. Murals were painted on a diversity of subjects;
during the period of the Baroque style in the 17th century, murals
sometimes were painted to look like an extension of the interior itself,
making it appear more spacious. Mirrors were employed for the same
purpose of adding space to an interior.
The deliberate use of antiques as decoration was unusual in most
periods. Generally, in older houses elements of the previous
decorative scheme were relegated to less important rooms when new
decoration was undertaken to bring an old interior into line with current
fashion. In this way many antiques have been preserved. The art
market has existed from the earliest times for the purpose of providing
both new and antique works for the decoration of interiors, but in early
times the market in old work was usually limited to paintings by
admired masters and goldsmith’s work.
Only within the recent historic past have any interiors but those
belonging to the rich and powerful been considered worthy of
consideration. Still more recent is the collection of the interior
furnishings of the past by museums and galleries, where they are
studied in scholarly isolation. The segregation of such objects in
galleries, however, has led to an increasing misunderstanding of their
original purpose; and the division of the arts by museum curators into
the fine arts and the decorative (or industrial) arts has helped to
obscure the original functions of interior furnishings.

To some extent the present attitude has resulted from the rise of the
specialist collector since the 1840s. Porcelain and silver, for instance,
no longer fulfill their original purpose as part of the household
furnishings but are collected into cabinets, since they are so precious.
Similarly, the small porcelain figures of Meissen, which were originally
part of a table decoration and an integral part of a service, are now too
highly valued to be so used.
The notion of interior design historically has arisen as part of a settled
agricultural way of life. The tents of nomadic peoples were hardly
suitable for the more permanent forms of decoration. Among Central
Asian nomads, however, carpets and rugs have been employed to
decorate and provide comfort in tents and portable dwellings, usually
taking the form of coverings for floor and bed, and these have been the
principal form of art of the peoples concerned. The oldest
nomadic carpet, found in Central Mongolia, dates to the 5th century BC,
but geometrically patterned stone reliefs from Assyria in the 7th
century BCare thought to be based on earlier carpet patterns.
Hunting peoples living in caves decorated the walls with paintings as
early as 20,000 years ago, but these were almost certainly votive
paintings rather than decoration, and no trace of movable furniture has
survived

Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris (/ˌnɒtrə ˈdɑːm, ˌnoʊtrə ˈdeɪm, ˌnoʊtrə ˈdɑːm/;[4][5][6] French: [nɔtʁə dam
də paʁi] (listen); meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame,[a] is
a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The
cathedral is consecrated to the Virgin Mary and considered to be one of the finest
examples of French Gothic architecture. Its pioneering use of the rib vault and flying
buttress, its enormous and colourful rose windows, as well as the naturalism and
abundance of its sculptural decoration set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style.
[7]
 Major components that make Notre Dame stand out include one of the world's largest
organs and its immense church bells. [8]
The cathedral's construction was begun in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was
largely complete by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the following centuries. In
the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution; much of its
religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. In the 19th century, the cathedral was the
site of the coronation of Napoleon I and funerals of many Presidents of the Republic.
Popular interest in the cathedral blossomed soon after the publication, in 1831, of Victor
Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris (better known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-
Dame). This led to a major restoration project between 1844 and 1864, supervised
by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The liberation of Paris was celebrated within Notre-Dame in 1944
with the singing of the Magnificat. Beginning in 1963, the cathedral's façade was cleaned of
centuries of soot and grime. Another cleaning and restoration project was carried out
between 1991 and 2000.[9]
The cathedral is one of the most widely recognized symbols of the city of Paris and the
French nation. As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, Notre-Dame contains
the cathedra of the Archbishop of Paris (Michel Aupetit). In 1805, Notre-Dame was given
the honorary status of a minor basilica. Approximately 12 million people visit Notre-Dame
annually, making it the most visited monument in Paris.[10] The cathedral is renowned for
its Lent sermons founded by the famous Dominican Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire in the
1860s. In recent years, an increasing number have been given by leading public figures
and state employed academics.
The cathedral has been progressively stripped of its original decoration and works of art.
Several noteworthy examples of Gothic, Baroque, and 19th-century sculptures and a group
of 17th- and early 18th-century altarpieces remain in the cathedral’s collection. The most
important relics in Christendom, including the Crown of Thorns, a sliver of the true
cross and a nail from the true cross, are preserved at Notre-Dame. While undergoing
renovation and restoration, the roof of Notre-Dame caught fire on the evening of 15 April
2019. Burning for around 15 hours, the cathedral sustained serious damage, including the
destruction of the flèche (the timber spireover the crossing) and most of the lead-covered
wooden roof above the stone vaulted ceiling

History
It is believed that before the arrival of Christianity in France, a Gallo-Roman temple
dedicated to Jupiter stood on the site of Notre-Dame. Evidence for this is the Pillar of the
Boatmen, discovered in 1710. This building was replaced with an Early Christian basilica. It
is unknown whether this church, dedicated to Saint Stephen, was constructed in the late
4th century and remodeled later, or if it was built in the 7th century from an older church,
possibly the cathedral of Childebert I.[b] The basilica, later cathedral, of Saint-Étienne [fr]was
situated about 40 meters (130 ft) west of Notre-Dame's location and was wider and lower
and roughly half its size. For its time, it was very large—70 meters (230 ft) long—and
separated into nave and four aisles by marble columns, then decorated with mosaics.[9][11]
Four churches succeeded the Roman temple before Notre-Dame. The first was the 4th
century basilica of Saint-Étienne, then the Merovingian renovation of that church which was
in turn remodeled in 857 under the Carolingians into a cathedral.[12] The last church before
the cathedral of Notre-Dame was a Romanesque remodeling of the prior structures that,
although enlarged and remodeled, was found to be unfit for the growing population of Paris.
[13][c]
 A baptistery, the Church of John the Baptist [fr], built before 452, was located on the
north side of the church of Saint-Étienne until the work of Jacques-Germain Soufflot in the
18th century.[15]
In 1160, the Bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully,[15] decided to build a new and much larger
church. He summarily demolished the Romanesque cathedral and chose to recycle its
materials.[13] Sully decided that the new church should be built in the Gothic style, which had
been inaugurated at the royal abbey of Saint Denis in the late 1130s. The Gothic cathedrals
of Sens, Senlis, Laon, Noyon and Angers were already under construction began at Nôtre
Dame .[11]

Construction
The chronicler Jean de Saint-Victor [fr] recorded in the Memorial Historiarum that the
construction of Notre-Dame began between 24 March and 25 April 1163 with the laying of
the cornerstone in the presence of King Louis VII and Pope Alexander III.[16][17] Four phases
of construction took place under bishops Maurice de Sully and Eudes de Sully (not related
to Maurice), according to masters whose names have been lost.
The first phase began with the construction of the choir and its two ambulatories. According
to Robert of Torigni, the choir was completed in 1177 and the high altar consecrated on 19
May 1182 by Cardinal Henri de Château-Marçay, the Papal legate in Paris, and Maurice de
Sully.[19] The second phase, from 1182 to 1190, concerned the construction of the four
sections of the nave behind the choir and its aisles to the height of the clerestories. It began
after the completion of the choir but ended before the final allotted section of the nave was
finished. Beginning in 1190, the bases of the façade were put in place, and the first
traverses were completed.[9] Heraclius of Caesarea called for the Third Crusade in 1185
from the still-incomplete cathedral.
Louis IX deposited the relics of the passion of Christ, which included the crown of thorns, a
nail from the cross and a sliver of the cross, which he had purchased at great expense from
the Latin Emperor Baudouin II, in the cathedral during the construction of the Sainte-
Chapelle.
The decision was made to add a transepts at the choir, where the altar was located, in
order to bring more light into the center of the church. The use of simpler four-part rather
than six-part rib vaults meant that the roofs were stronger and could be higher. After Bishop
Maurice de Sully's death in 1196, his successor, Eudes de Sully oversaw the completion of
the transepts, and continued work on the nave, which was nearing completion at the time of
his own death in 1208. By this time, the western façade was already largely built, though it
was not completed until around the mid-1240s. Between 1225 and 1250 the upper gallery
of the nave was constructed, along with the two towers on the west façade. [20]
Another significant change came in the mid-13th century, when the transepts were
remodeled in the latest Rayonnant style; in the late 1240s Jean de Chelles added a gabled
portal to the north transept topped off by a spectacular rose window. Shortly afterward
(from 1258) Pierre de Montreuil executed a similar scheme on the southern transept. Both
these transept portals were richly embellished with sculpture; the south portal features
scenes from the lives of St Stephen and of various local saints, while the north portal
featured the infancy of Christ and the story of Theophilus in the tympanum, with a highly
influential statue of the Virgin and Child in the trumeau.[21][20] Master builders Pierre de
Chelles, Jean Ravy [fr], Jean le Bouteiller, and Raymond du Temple [fr] succeeded de
Chelles and de Montreuil and then each other in the construction of the cathedral. Ravy
completed de Chelles's rood screen and chevet chapels, then began the 15-metre (49 ft)
flying buttresses of the choir. Jean le Bouteiller, Ravy's nephew, succeeded him in 1344
and was himself replaced on his death in 1363 by his deputy, Raymond du Temple.
Philip the Fair opened the first Estates General in the cathedral in 1302.
An important innovation in the 13th century was the introduction of the flying buttress.
Before the buttresses, all of the weight of the roof pressed outward and down to the walls,
and the abutments supporting them. With the flying buttress, the weight was carried by the
ribs of the vault entirely outside the structure to a series of counter-supports, which were
topped with stone pinnacles which gave them greater weight. The buttresses meant that
the walls could be higher and thinner, and could have much larger windows. The date of
the first buttresses is not known with any great precision beyond an installation date in the
13th century. Art historian Andrew Tallon, however, has argued based on detailed laser
scans of the entire structure that the buttresses were part of the original design. According
to Tallon, the scans indicate that "the upper part of the building has not moved one
smidgen in 800 years,"[22] whereas if they were added later some movement from prior to
their addition would be expected. Tallon thus concluded that "flying buttresses were there
from the get-go."[22] The first buttresses were replaced by larger and stronger ones in the
14th century; these had a reach of fifteen meters between the walls and counter-supports.
That most glorious church of the most glorious Virgin Mary, mother of God, deservedly
shines out, like the sun among stars. And although some speakers, by their own free
judgment, because [they are] able to see only a few things easily, may say that some other
is more beautiful, I believe, however, respectfully, that, if they attend more diligently to the
whole and the parts, they will quickly retract this opinion. Where indeed, I ask, would they
find two towers of such magnificence and perfection, so high, so large, so strong, clothed
round about with such multiple varieties of ornaments? Where, I ask, would they find such
a multipartite arrangement of so many lateral vaults, above and below? Where, I ask, would
they find such light-filled amenities as the many surrounding chapels? Furthermore, let
them tell me in what church I may see such a large cross, of which one arm separates the
choir from the nave. Finally, I would willingly learn where [there are] two such circles,
situated opposite each other in a straight line, which on account of their appearance are
given the name of the fourth vowel [O] ; among which smaller orbs and circles, with
wondrous artifice, so that some arranged circularly, others angularly, surround windows
ruddy with precious colors and beautiful with the most subtle figures of the pictures. In fact,
I believe that this church offers the carefully discerning such cause for admiration that its
inspection can scarcely sate the soul.

On 16 December 1431, the boy-king Henry VI of England was crowned King of France in

Notre-Dame, aged ten, the traditional coronation church of Reims Cathedral being under
French control.[24]
During the Renaissance, the Gothic style fell out of style, and the internal pillars and walls
of Notre-Dame were covered with tapestries.[25]
In 1548, rioting Huguenots damaged some of the statues of Notre-Dame, considering
them idolatrous.[26]
The fountain [fr] in Notre-Dame's parvis was added in 1625 to provide nearby Parisians with
running water.[27]
King Louis XIV, on the insistence of his father, Louis XIII, decided in 1699 to make
extensive modifications to Notre-Dame. He tasked Robert de Cotte with the renovation.
Cotte replaced the rood screen with a sumptuous and gilded wrought iron fence, opened up
the choir and ambulatory, and removed the tombs in the nave. New furniture was produced
as well as the current high altar, depicting Louis XIV and XIII kneeling before a Pietà.
Since 1449, the Parisian goldsmith guild had made regular donations to the cathedral
chapter. In 1630, it was decided that the guild would donate a large altarpiece every year
on the first of May. These works came to be known as the grands mays.[28] The subject
matter was restricted to episodes from the Acts of the Apostles. The prestigious
commission was awarded to the most prominent painters and, after 1648, members of the
Academie royale.
Seventy-six paintings had been donated by 1708, when the custom was discontinued for
financial reasons. Those works were confiscated in 1793 and the majority were
subsequently dispersed among regional museums in France. Those that remained in the
cathedral were removed or relocated within the building by the 19th-century restorers.
Thirteen of the grands mays remain in Nôtre Dame:
La Descente du Saint Esprit by Jacques Blanchard – 1634
Saint Pierre guérissant les malades de son ombre by Laurent de la Hyre – 1635
La Conversion de saint Paul by Laurent de la Hyre – 1637
Le Centenier Corneille aux pieds de saint Pierre by Aubin Vouet – 1639
La Prédication de saint Pierre à Jérusalem by Charles Poerson – 1642
Le Crucifiement de saint Pierre by Sébastien Bourdon – 1643
Le Crucifiement de saint André by Charles Le Brun – 1647
Saint Paul rend aveugle le faux prophète Barjesu et convertit le proconsul Sergius by
Nicolas Loir – 1650
La Lapidation de saint Étienne by Charles Le Brun – 1651
La Flagellation de Saint Paul et Silas by Louis Testelin – 1655
Saint André tressaille de joie à la vue de son supplicepar by Gabriel Blanchard – 1670
Le Prophète Agabus prédisant à saint Paul ses souffrances à Jérusalem by Louis Chéron –
1687
Les fils de Sceva battus par le démon by Mathieu Elyas – 1702
These paintings suffered water damage during the fire of 2019 and were removed for
conservation.
An altarpiece depicting the Visitation, painted by Jean Jouvenet in 1707, was also located
in the cathedral.
The canon Antoine de La Porte commissioned for Louis XIV six paintings depicting the life
of the Virgin Mary for the choir. At this same time, Charles de La Fosse painted
his Adoration of the Magi, now in the Louvre.[29] Louis Antoine de Noailles, Archbishop of
Paris, extensively modified the roof of Notre-Dame in 1726, renovating its framing and
removing the gargoyles with lead gutters. Noailles also strengthened the buttresses,
galleries, terraces, and vaults.[30] In 1756, the cathedral's canons decided that its interior
was too dark. The medieval stained glass windows, except the rosettes, were removed and
replaced with plain, white glass panes.[25] Finally, Jacques-Germain Soufflot was tasked with
the modification of the portals at the front of the cathedral to allow processions to more
easily enter it.
French Revolution and Napoleon
After the French Revolution in 1789, Notre-Dame and the rest of the clergy's property in
France was seized and made public property.[31] The cathedral was rededicated in 1793 to
the Cult of Reason, and then to the Cult of the Supreme Being.[32] During this time, many of
the treasures of the cathedral were either destroyed or plundered. The twenty-eight statues
of biblical kings located at the west façade, mistaken for statues of French kings, were
beheaded.[9][33] Many of the heads were found during a 1977 excavation nearby, and are on
display at the Musée de Cluny. For a time the Goddess of Liberty replaced the Virgin
Mary on several altars.[34] The cathedral's great bells escaped being melted down. All of the
other large statues on the façade, with the exception of the statue of the Virgin Mary on the
portal of the cloister, were destroyed. [9] The cathedral came to be used as a warehouse for
the storage of food and other non-religious purposes. [26]
With the Concordat of 1801, Napoleon Bonaparte restored Notre-Dame to the Catholic
Church, though this was only finalized on 18 April 1802. Napoleon also named Paris's new
bishop, Jean-Baptiste de Belloy, who restored the cathedral's interior. Charles
Percier and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine made quasi-Gothic modifications to Notre-
Dame for the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the French within the cathedral. The
building's exterior was whitewashed and the interior decorated in Neoclassical, then in
vogue

Restoration

The Cathedral at the beginning of the restoration work, photo from 1847 by Hippolyte Bayard

After the Napoleonic Wars, Notre-Dame was in such a state of disrepair that Paris officials
considered its demolition. Victor Hugo, who admired the cathedral, wrote the novel Notre-
Dame de Paris (published in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) in 1831 to save
Notre-Dame. The book was an enormous success, raising awareness of the cathedral's
decaying state.[9] The same year as Hugo's novel was published, however, anti-
Legitimists plundered Notre-Dame's sacristy and broke its stained glass windows.[citation
needed]
 In 1844 King Louis Philippe ordered that the church be restored.[9]
The architect who had hitherto been in charge of Notre-Dame's maintenance, Étienne-
Hippolyte Godde, was dismissed. In his stead, Jean-Baptiste Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-
Duc, who had distinguished themselves with the restoration of the nearby Sainte-Chapelle,
were appointed in 1844. The next year, Viollet-le-Duc submitted a budget of
3,888,500 francs, which was reduced to 2,650,000 francs, for the restoration of Notre-
Dame and the construction of a new sacristy building. This budget was exhausted in 1850,
and work stopped as Viollet-le-Duc made proposals for more money. In totality, the
restoration cost over 12 million francs. When Lassus died in 1857, Viollet-le-Duc was left
sole architect of the project until its completion on 31 May 1864. [citation needed]Supervising a large
team of sculptors, glass makers and other craftsmen, and working from drawings or
engravings, Viollet-le-Duc remade or added decorations if he felt they were in the spirit of
the original style. One of the latter items was a taller and more ornate spire, including a
statue of Saint Thomas that resembles Viollet-le-Duc, as well as the sculpture of mythical
creatures on the Galerie des Chimères.[26]
The construction of the sacristy was especially financially costly. To secure a firm
foundation, it was necessary for Viollet-le-Duc's laborers to dig 9 meters (30 ft). Master
glassworkers meticulously copied styles of the 13th century, as written about by art
historians Antoine Lusson and Adolphe Napoléon Didron.
During the liberation of Paris in August 1944, the cathedral suffered some minor damage
from stray bullets. Some of the medieval glass was damaged, and was replaced by glass
with modern abstract designs. On 26 August, a special mass was held in the cathedral to
celebrate the liberation of Paris from the Germans; it was attended by General Charles De
Gaulle and General Philippe Leclerc.
In 1963, on the initiative of culture minister André Malraux and to mark the 800th
anniversary of the Cathedral, the façade was cleaned of the centuries of soot and grime,
restoring it to its original off-white color
The Requiem Mass of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, former Archbishop of Paris and
famous Jewish convert to Catholicism, was held in Notre-Dame on 10 August 2007. [47]
The set of four 19th-century bells atop the northern towers at Notre-Dame were melted
down and recast into new bronze bells in 2013, to celebrate the building's 850th
anniversary. They were designed to recreate the sound of the cathedral's original bells from
the 17th century.[48][49] Despite the 1990s renovation, the cathedral had continued to show
signs of deterioration that prompted the national government to propose a new renovation
program in the late 2010s.[50][51] The entire renovation was estimated to cost 100 million
euros, which the Archbishop of Paris planned to raise through funds from the national
government and private donations.[52] A €6 million renovation of the cathedral's spire began
in late 2018 and continued into the following year, requiring the temporary removal of
copper statues on the roof and other decorative elements days before the April 2019 fire. [53]
[54]

Notre-Dame began a year-long celebration of the 850th anniversary of the laying of the first
building block for the cathedral on 12 December 2012. [55] During that anniversary year, on
21 May 2013, Dominique Venner, a historian and white nationalist, placed a letter on
the Churchaltar and shot himself, dying instantly. Around 1,500 visitors were evacuated
from the cathedral.[56]
French police arrested two persons on 8 September 2016 after a car containing seven gas
canisters was found near Notre-Dame.[57]
On 10 February 2017, French police arrested four persons in Montpellier already known by
authorities to have ties to radical Islamist organizations on charges of plotting to travel to
Paris and attack the cathedral.[58] Later that year, on 6 June, visitors were shut inside Notre-
Dame cathedral in Paris after a man with a hammer attacked a police officer outside
On 15 April 2019 the cathedral caught fire, destroying the spire and the oak frame and lead
roof.[1][61][62] It was speculated that the fire was linked to ongoing renovation work. The main
structure was intact; firefighters saved the façade, towers, walls, buttresses, and stained
glass windows. The Great Organ, which has over 8,000 pipes and built by Francois Thierry
in the 18th century was also saved but sustained water damage. [63] Because of the ongoing
renovation, the copper statues on the spire had been removed before the fire. [64] The stone
vaulting that forms the ceiling of the cathedral had several holes but was otherwise intact. [65]
Since 1905, France's cathedrals (including Notre-Dame) have been owned by the state,
which is self-insured. Some costs might be recovered through insurance coverage if the fire
is found to have been caused by contractors working on the site.[66] The French
insurer AXAprovided insurance coverage for two of the contracting firms working on Notre-
Dame’s restoration before the blaze which devastated the cathedral. AXA also provided
insurance coverage for some of the relics and artworks in the cathedral. [67]
President Emmanuel Macron said approximately 500 firefighters helped to battle the fire.
One firefighter was seriously injured and two police officers were hurt during the blaze. [68]
Macron vowed that Notre-Dame would be restored, and called for the work to be completed
within five years.[69][70][71][72] An international architectural competition was also announced to
redesign the spire and roof.
Towers and the spire

Towers on west façade (1220–1250).
 


The 19th-century spire was destroyed in the 2019 fire.
 


The rooster reliquary atop the spire. It was found intact in the rubble after the 2019 fire.


The spire from above, in 2013
 


Statue of Thomas the Apostle, with the features of restorer Viollet-le-Duc, at the base of the
spire
The two towers are 69 meters (226 ft) high, and were the tallest structures in Paris until the
completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. The towers were the last major element of the
cathedral to be constructed. The south tower was built first, between 1220 and 1240, and
the north tower between 1235 and 1250. The newer north tower is slightly larger, as can be
seen when they are viewed from directly in front of the church. The contrefort or buttress of
the north tower is also larger.[74]
The north tower is accessible to visitors by a stairway, whose entrance is on the north side
of the tower. The stairway has 387 steps, and has a stop at the Gothic hall at the level of
the rose window, where visitors can look over the parvis and see a collection of paintings
and sculpture from earlier periods of the cathedral's history.
The ten bells of the cathedral are located in the south tower. (see Bells below)
A lead-roofed water reservoir between the two towers‍—‌behind the colonnade and the
gallery and before the nave and the pignon‍—‌provides water for firefighting.[citation needed]
The cathedral's flèche (or spire), which was destroyed in the April 2019 fire, [75] was located
over the transept. The original spire was constructed in the 13th century, probably between
1220 and 1230. It was battered, weakened and bent by the wind over five centuries, and
finally was removed in 1786. During the 19th-century restoration, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
decided to recreate it, making a new version of oak covered with lead. The entire spire
weighed 750 tons.
Following Viollet-le-Duc's plans, the spire was surrounded by copper statues of the
twelve Apostles‍—‌a group of three at each point of the compass. In front of each group is
an animal symbolising one of the four evangelists: a steer for Saint Luke, a lion for Saint
Mark, an eagle for Saint John and an angel for Saint Matthew. Just days prior to the fire,
the statues were removed for restoration. [76] While in place, they had faced outwards
towards Paris, except one; the statue of Saint Thomas, the patron saint of architects, which
faced the spire, and had the features of Viollet-le-Duc.
The rooster weathervane atop the spire contained three relics: a tiny piece from the Crown
of Thorns in the cathedral treasury, and relics of Saint Denis and Saint Genevieve, patron
saints of Paris. They were placed there in 1935 by Archbishop Jean Verdier, to protect the
congregation from lightning or other harm. The rooster was recovered shortly after the 2019
fire.[77]

Iconography — the "poor people's book"

See also: List of sculptures in Notre-Dame de Paris


Illustration of the Last Judgment, central portal of west façade
 


The martyr Saint Denis, holding his head, over the Portal of the Virgin
 


The serpent tempts Adam and Eve; part of the Last Judgment on the central portal of west
façade
 


Archangel Michael and Satan weighing souls during the Last Judgment (central portal, west
façade)
 


A strix on the west façade


Gargoyles were the rainspouts of the Cathedral
 


Chimera on the façade
 


Allegory of alchemy, central portal
The Gothic cathedral was a liber pauperum, a "poor people's book", covered with sculpture
vividly illustrating biblical stories, for the vast majority of parishioners who were illiterate. To
add to the effect, all of the sculpture on the façades was originally painted and gilded.
[78]
 The tympanum over the central portal on the west façade, facing the square, vividly
illustrates the Last Judgment, with figures of sinners being led off to hell, and good
Christians taken to heaven. The sculpture of the right portal shows the coronation of
the Virgin Mary, and the left portal shows the lives of saints who were important to
Parisians, particularly Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary.[79]
The exteriors of cathedrals and other Gothic churches were also decorated with sculptures
of a variety of fabulous and frightening grotesques or monsters. These included
the gargoyle, the chimera, a mythical hybrid creature which usually had the body of a lion
and the head of a goat, and the Strix or stryge, a creature resembling an owl or bat, which
was said to eat human flesh. The strix appeared in classical Roman literature; it was
described by the Roman poet Ovid, who was widely read in the Middle Ages, as a large-
headed bird with transfixed eyes, rapacious beak, and greyish white wings. [80] They were
part of the visual message for the illiterate worshipers, symbols of the evil and danger that
threatened those who did not follow the teachings of the church. [81]
The gargoyles, which were added in about 1240, had a more practical purpose. They were
the rain spouts of the cathedral, designed to divide the torrent of water which poured from
the roof after rain, and to project it outwards as far as possible from the buttresses and the
walls and windows where it might erode the mortar binding the stone. To produce many
thin streams rather than a torrent of water, a large number of gargoyles were used, so they
were also designed to be a decorative element of the architecture. The rainwater ran from
the roof into lead gutters, then down channels on the flying buttresses, then along a
channel cut in the back of the gargoyle and out of the mouth away from the cathedral. [78]
Amid all the religious figures, some of the sculptural decoration was devoted to illustrating
medieval science and philosophy. The central portal of the west façade is decorated with
carved figures holding circular plaques with symbols of transformation taken from alchemy.
The central pillar of the central door of Notre-Dame features a statue of a woman on a
throne holding a scepter in her left hand, and in her right hand, two books, one open
(symbol of public knowledge), and the other closed (esoteric knowledge), along with a
ladder with seven steps, symbolizing the seven steps alchemists followed in their scientific
quest of trying to transform ordinary metals into gold. [81]
Many of the statues, particularly the grotesques, were removed from façade in the 17th and
18th century, or were destroyed during the French Revolution. They were replaced with
figures in the Gothic style, designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, during the 19th century
restoration.

Stained glass — rose windows


The earliest rose window, on the west façade (about 1225)
 


The west rose window (about 1225)
 


North rose window (about 1250)
 


North rose window including lower 18 vertical windows
The stained glass windows of Notre-Dame, particularly the three rose windows, are among
the most famous features of the cathedral. The west rose window, over the portals, was the
first and smallest of the roses in Notre-Dame. It is 9.6 meters in diameter, and was made in
about 1225, with the pieces of glass set in a thick circular stone frame. None of the original
glass remains in this window; it was recreated in the 19th century. [82]
The two transept windows are larger and contain a greater proportion of glass than the rose
on the west façade, because the new system of buttresses made the nave walls thinner
and stronger. The north rose was created in about 1250, and the south rose in about 1260.
The south rose in the transept is particularly notable for its size and artistry. It is 12.9
meters in diameter; with the claire-voie surrounding it, a total of 19 meters. It was given to
the Cathedral by King Louis IX of France, known as Saint Louis.[83]
The south rose has 94 medallions, arranged in four circles, depicting scenes from the life of
Christ and those who witnessed his time on earth. The inner circle has twelve medallions
showing the twelve apostles. (During later restorations, some of these original medallions
were moved to circles farther out). The next two circles depict celebrated martyrs and
virgins. The fourth circle shows twenty angels, as well as saints important to Paris, notably
Saint Denis, Margaret the Virgin with a dragon, and Saint Eustace. The third and fourth
circles also have some depictions of Old Testament subjects. The third circle has some
medallions with scenes from the New Testament Gospel of Matthew which date from the
last quarter of the 12th century. These are the oldest glass in the window. [83]
Additional scenes in the corners around the rose window include Jesus' Descent into
Hell, Adam and Eve, the Resurrection of Christ. Saint Peter and Saint Paul are at the
bottom of the window, and Mary Magdalene and John the Apostle at the top.
Above the rose was a window depicting Christ triumphant seated in the sky, surrounded by
his Apostles. Below are sixteen windows with painted images of Prophets. These were not
part of the original window; they were painted during the restoration in the 19th century by
Alfred Gérenthe, under the direction of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, based upon a similar window
at Chartres Cathedral.[83]
The south rose had a difficult history. In 1543 it was damaged by the settling of the
masonry walls, and not restored until 1725–1727. It was seriously damaged in the French
Revolution of 1830. Rioters burned the residence of the archbishop, next to the cathedral,
and many of the panes were destroyed. The window was entirely rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc in
1861. He rotated the window by fifteen degrees to give it a clear vertical and horizontal
axis, and replaced the destroyed pieces of glass with new glass in the same style. The
window today contains both medieval and 19th century glass. [83]
In the 1960s, after three decades of debate, it was decided to replace many of the 19th-
century grisaille windows in the nave designed by Viollet-le-Duc with new windows. The
new windows, made by Jacques Le Chevallier, are without human figures and use
abstract grisaille designs and color to try to recreate the luminosity of the Cathedral's
interior in the 13th century.
The 2019 fire left the three great medieval rose windows essentially intact, but with some
damage.[84] The rector of the Cathedral noted that one rose window would have to be
dismantled, as it was unstable and at risk.[85] Most of the other damaged windows were of
much less historical value.

Crypt

The Archaeological Crypt of Notre-Dame de Paris

The Archaeological Crypt (Crypte archéologique de l'île de la Cité) was created in 1965 to
protect a range of historical ruins discovered during construction work and spanning from
the earliest settlement in Paris to the modern day. The crypt is managed by the Musée
Carnavalet, and contains a large exhibit, detailed models of the architecture of different
time periods, and how they can be viewed within the ruins. The main feature still visible is
the under-floor heating installed during the Roman occupation
Organ

The organ of Notre-Dame de Paris

One of the earliest organs at Notre-Dame, built in 1403 by Friedrich Schambantz, was

replaced between 1730 and 1738 by François Thierry. During the restoration of the
cathedral by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll built a new organ, using pipe
work from the former instruments. The organ was dedicated in 1868.
In 1904, Charles Mutin modified and added several stops; in 1924, an electric blower was
installed. An extensive restoration and cleaning was carried out by Joseph Beuchet in
1932. Between 1959 and 1963, the mechanical action with Barker levers was replaced with
an electric action by Jean Hermann, and a new organ console was installed.
During the following years, the stoplist was gradually modified by Robert Boisseau (who
added three chamade stops: 8′, 4′, and 2′/16′ in 1968) and Jean-Loup Boisseau after 1975,
respectively. In autumn 1983, the electric combination system was disconnected due to
short-circuit risk.
Between 1990 and 1992, Jean-Loup Boisseau, Bertrand Cattiaux, Philippe Émeriau, Michel
Giroud, and the Société Synaptel revised and augmented the instrument throughout. A new
console was installed, using the stop knobs, pedal and manual keyboards, foot pistons and
balance pedals from the Jean Hermann console. Between 2012 and 2014, Bertrand
Cattiaux and Pascal Quoirin restored, cleaned, and modified the organ. The stop and key
action was upgraded, a new console was built, (again using the stop keys, pedal board,
foot pistons and balance pedals of the 1992 console), a new enclosed division
("Résonnance expressive", using pipework from the former "Petite Pédale" by Boisseau,
which can now be used as a floating division), the organ case and the façade pipes were
restored, and a general tuning was carried out. The current organ has 115 stops (156
ranks) on five manuals and pedal, and more than 8,000 pipes.

Organists
The position of titular organist ("head" or "chief" organist; French: titulaires des grands
orgues) at Notre-Dame is considered one of the most prestigious organist posts in France,
along with the post of titular organist of Saint Sulpice in Paris, Cavaillé-Coll's largest
instrument.

Bells
The cathedral has 10 bells, the bourdon called Emmanuel, which is tuned to F sharp, has
been an accompaniment to some of the most major events in the history of France ever
since it was first cast, such as for the Te Deum for the coronation of French kings along
with major events like the visit of the Pope, and others to mark the end of conflicts including
World War I and World War II. It also rings in times of sorrow and drama to unite
Frenchmen at Notre-Dame, like for the funerals of the French heads of state, tragedies
such as the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 and it is reserved for the Cathedral's
special occasions like Christmas, Easter, and Ascension. This particular bell was the
masterpiece of the whole group of bells that weighs in at 13 tons, and fortunately, it was
saved from the devastation that arose during the French Revolution. According to bell
ringers and musicians, it is still one of the most beautiful sound vessels and one of the most
remarkable in Europe. The bell dates from the 15th century and was recast in 1681 upon
the request of King Louis XIV who named it the Emmanuel Bell.
There were also four bells that replaced those destroyed in the French Revolution. Placed
at the top of the North Tower in 1856, these ring daily for basic services, the Angelus and
the chiming of the hours. The first of these bells, named Angélique-Françoise, weighs in at
1,915 kg and is tuned to C sharp; the next bell is named Antoinette-Charlotte, weighing in
at 1,335 kg and tuned to D sharp. Then there is the bell named Jacinthe-Jeanne weighing
in at 925 kg tuned to F and the fourth bell named Denise-David weighs 767 kg and just like
the Grand Bell Emmanuel, it is tuned to F sharp. A few years later, in 1867, a carillon of
three bells in the spire with two chimes that linked to the monumental clock were put in
place and another three bells were positioned in the actual structure of Notre-Dame itself,
so that they could be heard inside. However, unfortunately, these are at present mute,
although a project is currently being looked at, and hopefully will be put into place, in order
to restore the Carillon to its former glory. The four bells that were put in place in 1856 are
now stored, as of February 2012.

Bourdon Emmanuel

About a year later, a new set of eight bells for the North Tower of Notre-Dame was being
produced, along with a Grand Bell for the South Tower, just as there were originally before
most were destroyed during the French Revolution. The construction of bells is one of
accuracy and precision to obtain the desired sound and the work has been entrusted to two
separate companies, one in France for the eight bells and one in Belgium for the Grand
Bell. Each of the new bells is named with names that have been chosen to pay tribute to
saints and others who have shaped the life of Paris and the Notre-Dame.
Emmanuel is accompanied by another large bell in the south tower called Marie. At six
tonnes and playing a G Sharp, Marie is the second largest bell in the cathedral. Marie is
also called a Little Bourdon (petite bourdon) or a drone bell because it is located alongside
Emmanuel in the south tower. Built in a foundry in The Netherlands, it has engravings as a
very distinctive feature, something which is different compared to the other bells. The
phrases "Je vous salue Marie," in French, and "Via viatores quaerit," in Latin, which mean
"Hail Mary" (where the bell gets its name from the Virgin Mary) and "The way is looking for
travellers". Below the phrase appears an image of the Baby Jesus and his parents
surrounded by stars and a relief with the Adoration of the Magi. It is in charge of the Small
Solennel, which is similar to the Great Solennel except that the ringing peal starts with the
bourdon and the eight bells in the north tower. This ring is heard on only 1 January (New
Year's Day) at the stroke of midnight and it replaces Emmanuel for international events.
Like Emmanuel, the bells are used to mark specific moments such as the arrival at the
Cathedral of the body of the deceased Archbishop of Paris.
In the North Tower, there are eight bells varying in size from largest to smallest. Gabriel is
the largest bell there; it weighs four tons and plays an A sharp. It is named after the
Archangel Gabriel, who announced the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary. Built in a bell
foundry outside Paris in 2013, it also chimes the hour through the day. Like Emmanuel and
Marie, Gabriel is used to mark specific events. It is used mainly for masses on Sundays in
ordinary times and some solemnities falling during the week in the Plenum North. It shows
40 circular lines representing the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert and the 40 years of
Moses' crossing the Sinai.
Anne-Geneviève is the second largest bell in the North Tower and the fourth largest bell in
the cathedral. Named after two saints: St. Anne, Mary's mother, and St. Geneviève the
patron saint of Paris, it plays a B and it weighs three tons. It has three circular lines that
represent the Holy Trinity and three theological virtues. Like Emmanuel, Marie and Gabriel,
Anne-Genevieve is used to mark specific moments such as the opening of the doors to
the Palm Sunday mass or the body of the deceased Archbishop of Paris. Also it is the only
bell that does not participate in a chime called the Angelus Domini, which happens in the
summer at 8am, noon and 8pm (or 9am, noon and 9pm).
Denis is the third largest bell in the North Tower and fifth largest bell in the cathedral. It is
named after St. Denis, the martyr who was also the first bishop of Paris around the year
250; it weighs 2 tons and plays a C sharp. This bell includes the third phrase of the
Angelus, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord". There are also seven circular lines
representing the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the seven Sacraments.
Marcel is the fourth largest bell in the North Tower and sixth largest bell in the cathedral.
It is named after the 9th bishop of Paris [fr]. It plays a D sharp and weighs 1.9 tons. It is
named after Saint Marcel, the ninth bishop of Paris, known for his tireless service to the
poor and sick in the fifth century. The bell that bears his name as a tribute has engraved
upon it the fourth sentence of the Angelus, "Be it done unto me according to Thy word".
Étienne is the fifth largest bell in the North Tower and seventh largest bell in the cathedral.
It is named after St. Étienne (English St. Stephen), the first Christian martyr. It plays an E
sharp and weighs 1.5 tons with its most prominent feature being its gold stripe slightly
above the nameplate.
Benoît-Joseph is the sixth largest bell in the North Tower and eighth largest bell in the
cathedral. The bell is named in honor of Pope Benedict XVI, using the French version of
his pontifical name combined with his given name (Joseph). It plays an F and weighs 1.3
tons. It has two silver stripes above the skirt and one silver stripe above the nameplate.
This bell is used for weddings and sometimes chimes the hour replacing Gabriel, most
likely on a chime called the Ave Maria.
Maurice is the seventh largest bell in the North Tower and second smallest in the cathedral.
It is named after Maurice de Sully, the bishop of Paris who laid the first stone for the
construction of the Cathedral. It includes the inscription, "Pray for us, Holy Mother of God".
It plays a G sharp and weighs one ton. It has two gray stripes below the nameplate. This
bell is used for weddings.
Jean Marie is the smallest bell of the cathedral. Unlike Benoît-Joseph and Anne-Geneviève
which have two names, it is named after Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Paris' bishop from
1981 until 2005, and on it is engraved the eighth and last sentence of the Angelus: "that we
might be made worthy of the promises of Christ". It plays an A sharp and weighs 0.780
tons. It has a small gray stripe above the skirt. This bell is also used for weddings.

Ownership
Until the French Revolution, Notre-Dame was the property of the Archbishop of Paris and
therefore the Roman Catholic Church. It was nationalized on 2 November 1789 and since
then has been the property of the French state.[87] Under the Concordat of 1801, use of the
cathedral was returned to the Church, but not ownership. Legislation from 1833 and 1838
clarified that cathedrals were maintained at the expense of the French government. This
was reaffirmed in the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State, designating the
Catholic Church as having the exclusive right to use it for religious purposes in perpetuity.
Notre-Dame is one of seventy historic churches in France with this status. The archdiocese
is responsible for paying the employees, for security, heating and cleaning, and for
ensuring that the cathedral is open free to visitors. The archdiocese does not receive
subsidies from the French state.

Gallery
 19th-century vestments
 


A wide angle view of Notre-Dame's western façade
 


Notre-Dame's façade showing the Portal of the Virgin, Portal of the Last Judgment, and Portal
of St-Anne
  


A 2010 view of Notre-Dame from Tour Montparnasse


A wide angle view of Notre-Dame's western façade
 


Virgin of Paris, 14th century. The Statue of Virgin and Child inside Notre-Dame de Paris
 


Notre-Dame's high altar with the kneeling statues of Louis XIII and Louis XIV
 


South rose window of Notre-Dame de Paris
 


Notre-Dame at the end of the 19th century


Flying buttresses of Notre-Dame
 


Memorial tablet to the British Empire dead of the First World War
 


Tympanum of the Last Judgment
 


Statue of Joan of Arc in Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral interior


Close look of the details on the Tympanum of the Last Judgment (2016)
 


Façade of Notre-Dame de Paris.
  


An 1853 photo by Charles Nègre of Henri Le Secq next to Le Stryge

Notre-Dame: Massive fire ravages Paris cathedral

A major fire has engulfed the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, one of France's
most famous landmarks.

The 850-year-old Gothic building's spire and roof have collapsed but the main structure,
including the two bell towers, has been saved, officials say.

Firefighters are still working to contain the blaze as teams try to salvage the artwork stored
inside.

President Emmanuel Macron called it a "terrible tragedy". The cause of the fire is not yet clear.

Officials say it could be linked to the renovation work that began after cracks appeared in the
stone, sparking fears the structure could become unstable.

Paris prosecutor's office said it had opened an inquiry into "accidental destruction by fire". A
firefighter was seriously injured while tackling the blaze.

How did the fire spread?

The fire began at around 18:30 (16:30 GMT) and quickly reached the roof of the cathedral,
destroying its stained-glass windows and the wooden interior before toppling the spire.

Some 500 firefighters worked to prevent one of the bell towers from collapsing. More than
four hours later, fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the main structure had been "saved and
preserved" from total destruction.