One of the best known churches in the world is the Notre Dame ("Our Lady") Cathedral in Paris. However, it was not the first religious structure built on this site. A fourth century church - Saint Stephens -holds that title. Seven centuries later, in 1160, the bishop of Paris felt it was not grand enough, so he had it demolished, and started construction on a new one. The famous "flying buttresses" of Notre Dame were not part of the original plans, but added later when the walls began to show fractures. Officially, the building is owned by the French state, but the Catholic Church has exclusive rights to use it, "in perpetuity." Of the ten bells located in the towers, "Emanuel" (1680) is the largest , and is ALWAYS rung first (five seconds before the others) - we did not see Quasimodo swinging on it while there. "Emanuel" was rung on August 24, 1944 to signal the "Liberation of Paris." When we went to visit Notre Dame, we discovered two lines around the Cathedral; one for visiting the Cathedral itself (there is no admission price for this one and it moves rather quickly); and one to climb the 400 plus stairs to the top of the towers (this one costs ten Euros and moves slowly). Once inside the Cathedral, we were impressed with its magnificence! It was a toss up as to what was more stunning, the beautiful stained glass windows, or the exquisite sculptures. Everything was so beautiful! Regardless of your religious affiliation, this is a MUST SEE attraction if you come to Paris.
Approaching Notre Dame from across the Seine.
The plaza leading to the main entrance of the Cathedral fills up quickly.
Notre Dame Cathedral was one of the first to make use of flying buttresses to support the weight of the walls.
The high altar area was stunningly sculptured.
Everything about the Cathedral was magnificent !
While visiting the Cathedral, we had the opportunity to witness the ordination ceremony of six new priests.
Even the aisle walls had exquisite sculptures.
Of course, the stained glass windows were equally impressive.
One of the special altars is this one of the Virgin Mary with Christ following His Crucifiction. The altar is bounded by kneeling statues of King Louis XIII and King Louis XIV.
There are over 400 narrow stairs to climb in order to get to the towers (I think I stopped counting after ten).
"Emanuel" is the largest of the ten bells in the towers of the Cathedral.
A view of Paris from one of the bell towers.
Statuary is everywhere, even on the roof. I bet this was a project to get them up here!
OK, which one is Quasimodo?
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