History of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris
Like other great Gothic cathedrals, the French Notre Dame de Paris was a long building. It took almost 200 years to build and was built on the site of Saint Stephen's Basilica, the first Christian church in Paris. The first stone was laid in 1163, and the main works were completed only in 1345.
Over the next several centuries, the appearance of the cathedral changed under the influence of historical events. Thus, in 1548, during the street riots of the Huguenots, some sculptures, bas-reliefs and parts of the facade of Notre-Dame de Paris were damaged. During the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, France's Notre-Dame Cathedral underwent major changes as part of a large-scale attempt to modernize cathedrals across Europe.
Tapestry depicting the restoration of ties between the French "Sun King" Louis XIV and Switzerland, Notre-Dame de Paris, 1663. Illustration: Getty Images
Notre Dame de Paris in 1750. Photo: Getty Images
In 1793, during the French Revolution, as part of de-Christianization, the Gothic cathedral was redone once again. During this time, many relics and treasures of the cathedral were destroyed, damaged or stolen, among them - 28 statues of biblical kings located on the western facade, which were beheaded. An important turning point in the fate of Notre-Dame de Paris was the publication in 1831 of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, which greatly contributed to the popularization of the movement for the preservation and restoration of Gothic monuments in general and Notre-Dame de Paris in particular.
One of the first photos of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. Photo: from open sources
The large-scale restoration of the cathedral under the leadership of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc began in 1845 and lasted a quarter of a century. In addition to the restoration, it included a more luxurious decoration of the facade, the return of the Gothic spire and the addition of several chimera sculptures.
Cathedral in Paris, XIX century. Photo: from open sources
The Second World War caused considerable damage to the cathedral. Several stained glass windows on the lower tier were knocked out. After the war, they were replaced with new ones, with a modern geometric pattern instead of biblical scenes. In 1991, a massive program to restore Notre-Dame de Paris was launched, which was supposed to last ten years, but at the time of the great fire of 2019, it was still not finished.
The monumentality and style of Notre Dame de Paris
The Cathedral of Notre Dame, or Notre-Dame de Paris, is a typical example of Gothic architecture, but it also has some features of the Romanesque style: double side naves and upper galleries. The height of Notre-Dame de Paris is 35 m, and the bell towers reach 69 m. The main creators of the cathedral are considered to be two architects: Jean de Shell and Pierre de Montreuil.
Photo: Hannah Reding/Unsplash
From an engineering point of view, Notre-Dame Cathedral is one of the first buildings where arched buttresses were used. Initially, Notre Dame was designed without them, but during construction, the thin walls became higher and higher, and to strengthen them, the architects used a system of arched buttresses.
Much of what makes Notre-Dame de Paris so aesthetically appealing is its engineering, with massive details balanced by delicate and openwork elements. Many sculptures were placed outside to decorate the columns and pillars outside the cathedral. Some of them are additional supports and drainage elements, such as gargoyles and chimeras, designed for water drainage.
What is inside the cathedral
Virtually every part of the facade of the cathedral is a work of art thanks to its sculptural design, just like the stained glass windows of the tall lancet windows of Notre Dame de Paris. The portals of St. Anna, Last Judgment and Our Lady are decorated with a large number of unique sculptural compositions.
Photo: Jianxiang Wu/Unsplash
Christian relics such as a crown of thorns and a part of the Cross from which Jesus was taken down are also kept here; the largest organ, which has 111 registers and about 8000 pipes; paintings and sculptures by various artists; the panicadillo of the cathedral, made of silvered bronze according to the project of Viollet-le-Duc.
Fire in Notre Dame de Paris
On April 15, 2019, the largest fire in the history of the cathedral occurred in Notre Dame de Paris. As a result, the 96-meter spire collapsed, and the unique wooden frame of the roof was destroyed. The framework of the cathedral and relics survived. Windows and stained-glass windows had to be removed urgently, and the paintings had to be sent to the Louvre. A thick layer of lead dust settled on the surviving elements and parts, since the roof was made of lead.
Fire in Notre Dame Cathedral in April 2019. Photo: Reuters
Since then, a large-scale restoration project has been developed to restore the original design of Notre-Dame de Paris, despite numerous proposals by famous architectural offices and individual architects for a new reading of the Gothic cathedral.
Notre Dame fire. Photo: AFP
At first, French President Emmanuel Macron assumed that he would support the modern project, but the desire not to delay and complicate the reconstruction prevailed. Today, the whole world is helping to restore Notre Dame de Paris. Three rosette windows on the facades are being restored on site. All windows are planned to be installed again in the spring of 2023.
When will Notre Dame de Paris open for tourists
The opening of the French cathedral of Notre Dame to visitors after restoration will take place in 2024, when Paris will host the Olympic Games. This was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in January 2023 after a joint visit to the cathedral with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Now the large-scale restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris is to enter the final stage.
Interesting facts about the cathedral
- Notre Dame de Paris can accommodate up to 9000 people, including 1500 in the galleries.
- The spire with a height of 96 m was made of oak and sheathed with lead.
- Currently, the French Cathedral of Notre Dame has 110 windows glazed with stained glass. But only three are original and ancient. The main stained glass window - the "rose" above the main entrance with the image of the Virgin Mary with the baby in the center - was created in 1230.
Stained glass windows of Notre Dame. Photo: from open sources
- The cathedral has 10 bells of different sizes. The largest of them, "Emmanuel", weighs more than 13 tons. It was cast in 1686 from copper from a medieval bell, commissioned by King Louis XIV and Queen Maria Theresa. The sounds of "Emmanuel" are heard only on days of great celebrations (in particular, on Easter) and on the occasion of special occasions (victories in the First and Second World Wars, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the election and death of Roman Popes, and in 2020 - on the anniversary of the fire).
- The fire started in the oldest part of Notre Dame de Paris - the eastern apse. It was there that the sculptures of the 12 apostles and four winged creatures were located. As part of the previous restoration, they were removed and removed, so the sculptures were safe during the fire.
- Only in the first few days after the fire, more than 900 million euros were donated from all over the world to restore the French cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris.
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