Known as simply Notre Dame in English, the Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité. Still used as the seat of the Archbishop of Paris, it is one of Paris’ most famous landmarks and a very central area to rent your paris apartment in Paris. See below for more information.
Notre Dame de Paris (“Our Lady of Paris” in French) was one of the world’s first Gothic cathedrals, and its lengthy construction (lasting almost two hundred years, between approximately 1163-1345) actually spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and stained glass windows were heavily influenced by the school of naturalism, giving them a more secular look than was found in earlier Romanesque architecture. Today, Notre Dame is considered by many to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and one of the world’s most famous cathedrals.
In 1160, Bishop Maurice de Sully, who felt the church in Paris had become the "parish church of the kings of Europe", deemed the current Parisian cathedral unworthy and had it demolished. Legend claims that de Sully sketched his vision for a glorious new cathedral in the dirt outside of the original church. In preparation for the construction, the bishop had a new road built to transport materials for the new church, and even demolished some buildings.
Construction began in 1163, during the reign of Louis VII. Although different historical accounts claim it was Maurice de Sully or alternately Pope Alexander III who laid the foundation stone of the cathedral, both were at the ceremony, and Bishop de Sully went on to devote most of his life and wealth to the construction of his dream cathedral.
Creation of the west front’s two famous towers began circa 1200. This was contrary to normal construction practice, initiated as it was before the nave had been completed. Numerous architects worked on the site over the construction period, as is suggested by differing styles at different heights of the towers to the front and west. Between 1210 and 1220, the fourth architect oversaw the construction of the level with the great halls beneath the towers and the rose window. Around 1245 the towers were completed, although the cathedral as a whole was not “completed” (in its first incarnation) until around 1345.
Notre Dame was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress. Many Paris apartments for rent offer a view of this internationally recognized landmark. Although the building was not originally designed to include flying buttresses, after the construction began, the thinner walls (in the popular Gothic style) grew ever higher. As a result, fractures began to appear as the walls pushed outward. So the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, which became a stylistic development as well.
The Notre Dame has been damaged many times, often narrowly escaping total destruction. Fortunately a Paris apartment rental Notre Dame de Paris gives you an unparalleled view of this historical place, which still stands overlooking the Seine.
In 1548, Huguenots damaged features of the cathedral in a riot following the Council of Trent. During the reign of Louis XIV and Louis XV, an attempt to modernize cathedrals throughout Europe led to a series of major alterations that included the destruction of various tombs and stained glass windows. Only the north and south rose windows escaped this fate, which may be glimpsed from various paris apartments.
At the end of the 18th century, during the French Revolution, many of the treasures of the cathedral were either plundered or destroyed entirely. Statues of the biblical kings of Judea (erroneously believed to be kings of France by angry mobs) were beheaded. Today, many of these heads are on display at the Musée de Cluny, as they were uncovered during a 1977 excavation. Only the great bells escaped destruction. Your Paris short term rental may put you in earshot of this heavenly choir. During the revolution the cathedral was used as a warehouse for the storage of food and dedicated first to the Cult of Reason, then to the Cult of the Supreme Being.
During the Paris Commune in 1871, the cathedral was nearly burned by the Communards. According to some accounts, a huge bonfire of chairs was set aflame in its center. Fortunately, the Notre Dame survived the Commune’s actions unscathed.
But time itself has placed the Notre Dame in as much danger as the actions of any revolutionaries or insurgents. By the early 19th century, the cathedral was in a state of disrepair, and the city planners of Paris began to consider tearing it down completely. French novelist Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was written in part to raise awareness of the cathedral's history and importance to French culture. The success of the novel sparked renewed interest in the cathedral, and a campaign to collect funds to save the cathedral followed.
The restoration program was initiated in 1845, overseen by architects Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Lasted 25 years, the restoration included the construction of a flèche (a type of spire). Chimeras were added to the Galerie des Chimères. Viollet le Duc always signed his work with a bat, the wing structure of which most resembles the gothic vault.
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