Paris Notre Dame Cathedral; A touch of French history

If you want to get to know the sights of Paris, you should know that one of the first important attractions of this city is the Notre Dame Cathedral in France. In this article, we will introduce you to a church that has more visitors than the Eiffel Tower.

You might think that the Eiffel Tower has more visitors than all the sights of Paris; but no! More than 13 million people visit Notre Dame Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris) every year.

Wherever you look in this church, you will see historical charm, complex and stunning architecture. The cruciform shape of the church, its wonderful decorations and details, the interesting architecture of the structure and its rich history are only part of the attractions of the Notre Dame Church.

By visiting this attraction, you will see a unique structure and enjoy the beauty near the church. Even if you don’t plan to land at the Paris airport and travel to Paris right now, by looking at the photos and reading the article, you can imagine yourself walking in the church. Join us as we continue to introduce Notre Dame Cathedral to you in the rest of this article from the tourism magazine.

Introduction of Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces of architecture in France; The church structure is one of the best examples of Gothic architecture. This historic church is the main symbol of France.

The Notre Dame Church of Paris is of great importance for France, both in terms of tourism and in terms of history and nationalism. In addition to its special charms and historical and architectural importance, this attraction is also home to a large number of valuable French religious treasures.

A great treasure is kept in this church, including the Holy Crown of Jesus Christ and a fragment of the Holy Cross, which are very old. These treasures are usually displayed to the public on the first Friday of every month, during a religious ceremony.

The church building is one of the largest religious structures in the world. The tallest part of this structure, which is a minaret, is almost 90 meters high. The construction of this church started in 1163 and continued until 1345; It has been renovated many times since 1345.

It might be interesting for you to know that the zero point of Paris is located in Notre Dame Cathedral; You may ask what does this mean or what is its use? The use of the zero point of Paris is that distances from Paris are measured with reference to this point.

On the ground in front of the church, there is a small plate with the image of a compass engraved on it. This page and the compass on it are known as zero point of Paris.

Where is Notre Dame?

In order to easily find Notre Dame Cathedral, you need to take a few simple steps. First, read this headline and the following headlines carefully. Then visit Google Map and finally choose the vehicle you want.

The Notre Dame Cathedral is located exactly on the Isle of Cité, rue Jean-Paul II, next to the Seine.

Access route to Notre Dame Cathedral

To get to the church, you can use taxi, private car, metro or fast trains. By express train or PER, you should use the blue or yellow lines and get off at Saint Michael station.

If you want to use the subway, get off the train at one of the following stations according to the number of the subway line you boarded.

• If you are on lines 1 or 11, get off at the Hotel de Ville station.
• Traveling on line four, you must get off at Cite station or St Michel station.
• On line 10, get off the metro at Cluny La Sorbonne station.
• You can also go to Chatelet station when traveling on lines seven, eleven and fourteen.

Best time to visit Notre Dame Cathedral

Visiting the church itself is possible all year round and there is no problem to visit. If you want to see the sights of this city and the Notre-Dame Cathedral, spring and autumn are the right times, considering the weather in Paris.

The best time to visit Paris is from late March to early June and mid-September to mid-November. According to some tourists, during these months you will have a part of all the beauties of Paris in one place.

Working hours of Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Paris is open every day from 7:45 am to 6:45 pm. For a better experience when visiting this church, some tourists suggest going to this church in the morning; The feeling you experience in this attraction can be very different in the morning.

The cost of visiting Notre Dame Cathedral

The good news is that you don’t have to pay to visit Notre Dame Cathedral. The public visit of this church is free for everyone and does not cost anything.

If you want to visit some special parts of Notre Dame, you may have to pay a little; But be sure it is totally worth it.

What does Notre Dame mean?

You may be curious to know what Notre Dame means and why they gave this name to the church. Notre Dame means “Our Lady” in French. It means Our Lady, Holy Mary, the mother of Christ. There are many churches with this name in France; But the Notre Dame Cathedral we are talking about is the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

According to historical documents, Notre Dame Church was dedicated to Mary; That’s why they named it Notre Dame or Our Lady. Also, in this church you will see many statues and details related to Mary, her mother and Jesus. These details of the confirmation stamp are available on the documents.

History of the Church of Notre Dame

Notre Dame Church has a long and tumultuous history; Many documents have been discovered about the history of the cathedral. If you have been following the French news, you probably know that this church suffered a huge fire in 2019. This fire caused a lot of damage. In this section, we explain the important details of the history of Notre Dame Church.

Before Notre Dame was even built, the current site of the church belonged to an ordinary temple or religious hall; But this temple did not belong to Christians. First this temple was in the hands of the priests, then it was known as a Roman temple to worship the god Jupiter.

In the 4th century AD, when Christianity was newly established in Europe, this temple was destroyed and the Notre-Dame church was built in its place. Of course, don’t think that the story ends here; You will see further that this structure was destroyed again.

During the Great French Revolution, at the end of the 8th century, the church was attacked by rebels. During this attack, most of the valuable paintings kept inside the church were destroyed.

In the 12th century, the population increased and the church was too small for the population of the city; So the city council of Paris destroyed it by the order of the then king of France, Louis VII. The church was destroyed again and a bigger and more beautiful church was built. That is why it has settled in the city of Paris. To be precise, the construction of the church started in 1163 and almost two centuries later, in 1345, its construction was finished.

Notre Dame Church in the early 19th century was not in a good condition at all. During the French Revolution, the revolutionary people beheaded 28 statues in the church. At that time, people strongly hated the monarchy, and any sign of the monarchy made their blood boil.

These statues were designed and made in the form of kings. The revolutionary people at that time thought that these statues were the statues of the kings of France at that time; For this reason, they cut off their heads. While these statues were the kings of Judah and the people realized it late.

21 of these headless statues are currently kept in the Colony Church.

The damage did not end here and continued after the French Revolution. The church bells were taken by the new government to use their metal to make war cannons.

Fortunately, in the middle of the 19th century, a bell was built and replaced again for the Notre-Dame church.

It was in 1845 that the restoration of the church began under the supervision of a French architect named Eugene Viollet Le Duc, in collaboration with the architect Jean-Baptiste Lasso; This process took up to 25 years.

There are many events that made the church famous.

1804 AD was the year when the famous French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, was crowned in the Notre-Dame church, which made the church famous. In 1970, a French general named de Gaulle was buried in this cathedral.

Another important event that made Notre Dame Church more famous was the publication of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1831. This novel was written by the famous poet and writer, Victor Hugo; We have fully explained about this novel and its connection to Notre Dame Cathedral.

The saddest thing that happened to this famous church was its huge fire. On April 15, 2019, a large and destructive fire surrounded the church; During this fire, the 90-meter minaret of the church was also burnt.

Unfortunately, the cause of this fire has not yet been determined; But because of this fire, Notre Dame Church was very damaged and was closed for a long time to be rebuilt.

One of the things that happened during the fire and helped the firefighters a lot was the presence of a robot named Colossus. This firefighter robot helped 400 other firefighters to protect the treasures and relics of the church from burning.

After the fire, French President Emmanuel Macron called Notre Dame the heart of Paris.

What is the story of Notre Dame?

In this section, we talk about an important story that made Notre Dame famous.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

A number of people agree that the Hunchback of Notre Dame novel is one of the most important reasons for the church’s fame. Now you may ask why and what does this story have to do with the church? In a few short paragraphs, we will summarize the story for you.

Victor Hugo, a famous French writer and poet, published the book The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1831. The events of the book take place in the 15th century and refer to a social event in France. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a story that takes place around the Notre Dame Church.

Hunchback, who is the main character of this book, is assigned to kill a gypsy girl; But after this, he gives up and saves her. In this book you can find interesting descriptions of Notre Dame Cathedral.

After the publication of this book, the church became more famous and people decided to do something to restore and restore the church.

A look at the architecture of Notre Dame Cathedral

As I said, the Notre Dame Cathedral was built in the Gothic style of architecture; This style of architecture was formed in the Middle Ages in Europe. The Gothic style is known for having complex geometric designs, pointed arches or arches, high ceilings and large windows. Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most famous structures of this style.

This unique church is designed in the shape of a cross, which has different parts; We will explain the parts of this church in full detail in the next section.

The church building is made of limestone. The presence of large windows allows natural sunlight to shine into the church and make the interior more beautiful than ever. In the main building of the church, there are tall arches and columns that are connected to the cylindrical structures of the church.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has many and detailed decorations. Engraved texts and words, statues and patterned glass are part of these decorations and details that you can easily see in the pictures of this church. In addition to religious importance, these decorations have given the church a special charm and glory.

This church is approximately 128 meters long and 48 meters wide. On the west side of the church building, there are two towers with a height of about 69 meters. It is interesting to know that the roof of the church is built on 75 columns and the building has 113 windows.

Different parts of Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral has different parts, all of which we will explain to you in full here.

Notre Dame Cathedral has three gates, a main courtyard, a side aisle, small chapels or chapels, a building for keeping treasures, a number of bells and bells, a number of statues and statues, a city under the building, tall windows and an organ.

Small prayer rooms or chapels have different uses; They are used as a personal place of worship, tombs of the elders, confession rooms or areas for answering religious questions.

Towers of Notre Dame Cathedral

We start with the towers of the Notre-Dame church, which were the last pieces built in the church building. The twin towers of Notre Dame are the highest point of the church and are known as the symbol of the city of Paris. These towers are both 69 meters and have the same height.

You can see these towers both from outside the church and from inside. To reach the top of Notre Dame towers, there are both stone stairs and an elevator; Of course, the stairs are almost 380 and may make it difficult for you to visit.

These towers have a similar shape and are placed right next to each other; When you look at the western facade of the church, you will see these two towers symmetrically side by side.

If you visit the church at night, be sure to visit the west facade of Notre Dame Cathedral; The towers give you a different feeling at night with their special lighting.

Paris Eiffel Tower; From hatred to love towards the most famous human creation

Bells of Notre Dame

There are 10 bells in the church, each of which has its own special name; Marie, Etienne, Emmanuel, Gabriel, Danny, Benoit Joseph, Anne Genevieve, Marcel, Maurice and Jean Marie are the bells of the church.

The largest bell is Manuel, which alone weighs 13 tons. This bell was made by a person named Emmanuel Ladovis; Since 1681 AD, this bell has been installed on the right tower of the church on the west side and has remained standing. You may be interested to know that Manuel’s bell is the largest bell ever made in the world.

Manuel is called on special occasions and only a few times a year. For example, this bell is rung every year on November 11; November 11 is the anniversary of the end of the First World War.

The rest of the bells have an average weight between 7 and 782 kg, and some of them ring several times a day; Maybe you heard their bells while visiting Notre Dame.

Statues of Notre Dame Cathedral

The statues and statues of Notre Dame Church have a special role. In addition to the fact that the statues have a religious, historical and architectural role, they have also made the church more famous.

Statues are generally made of stone and wood and decorated with engraving, painting and gilding. Most of the sculptures were inspired by biblical stories.

The statue of the Holy Mary, Jesus Christ, Saint Markel, Michael, Adam, Eve, shepherds, Jewish kings, Thomas (one of the Christian apostles), saints, angels, women, prophets and religious leaders, martyrs and statues of the Resurrection Day scenes, in They can be seen in the church.

Above the main door, at a height of 20 meters, 28 stone statues are installed, each of which is approximately 3.5 meters high; These statues symbolize the kings who ruled over Israel before the advent of Jesus Christ.

In addition to the statues we mentioned, various statues have been used in the exterior. A number of mythical statues in the form of demons, imaginary creatures and various animals have been made for the exterior.

Placing these statues in the facade is one of the symbols of the Gothic style, which has its own meaning. According to people, the construction of these models of statues in the exterior of the church has two results. First, some of these statues prevent devils from entering the church, and then some other statues invite people to worship in the church.

Of course, these statues have another use. In appearance, the statues are both shades and gutters, which prevent the wall of the church building from touching water and rotting later.

In total, Notre Dame Cathedral has 50 statues inside and 100 statues outside.

Organ of Notre Dame Cathedral

The organ of Notre Dame was added to the church in the 13th century. This organ with 8,000 pipes, 190 knots and five keyboards is the largest organ in France. Also, this organ is known as one of the most famous organs in the world.

The organ of Notre Dame has been rebuilt and repaired several times and fortunately has remained intact until now. Special ceremonies are held on Sundays in Notre Dame Cathedral; Sometimes famous and skilled organists play the organ in these ceremonies.

Organ playing is very popular among people who go to church. Sitting in the unique atmosphere of the church, seeing all these charms in one place and listening to the sweet sound of the organ, can be a new experience. I suggest you visit Notre Dame Church during your trip to Paris and listen to the organ of Notre Dame once. This memory is not going to be erased from your mind so easily.

If you already know the famous organist and musicians of this instrument, then you are in a good mood. Traveling to Paris and visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral is a golden opportunity to hear the sound of the organ of Notre Dame; During this visit, you may be able to see the famous and international musicians of the organ up close.

Windows of Notre Dame Cathedral

Windows are very important in Notre Dame Cathedral. As we mentioned, the presence of windows in Gothic architecture is also important. A large number of windows have been made for the cathedral, each of which has its own decorations.

In total, the church has 113 windows. Many of these windows are made of patterned glass. Patterned windows are both stunningly beautiful and spread the sunlight more beautifully inside the church.

We suggest that you see these windows once from inside the church and pay attention to them once from outside. The reflection and reflection of light in these windows are wonderful. Also, the attractive architecture of the church and the decorations used have made these windows stand out more.

Notre Dame windows are one of the most special parts of the church building. If you visit the church, be sure to take pictures of these windows; In this way, your memories of visiting the church will remain vivid in your mind, and you can always see the beauty of the windows.

The town of Vaughan under Notre Dame Cathedral

You may not believe it; But there is another treasure hidden under Notre Dame Cathedral, which is known as Paris Crypt Archeological Site. By discovering this small city, scientists were able to examine a large part of history. In archaeological excavations between 1965 and 1972, this city was found.

Since the 1970s, this part has been revealed to the public and a lot of information about history and archeology has been discovered. Remains related to history, from ancient times to the Middle Ages, are located in this area; Despite this ancient city, you can see how Paris has become the magnificent city it is today.

In this mysterious area you can travel back in time and find yourself in the heart of history. By seeing this area for a moment you will literally feel like you are living in the Middle Ages.

The gates of Notre Dame

Notre Dame Cathedral has three gates. Stay with us to get to know all three of these gates.

The portal of final judgment

The Gate of Last Judgment is the main gate of Notre Dame Cathedral. This door, which is located exactly in the middle of the facade, is opened only on special days or important ceremonies of the church. The details of this gate and its related components are very attractive and interesting.

Around the Gate of Final Judgment, you see many statues and religious symbols; In Heaven and Hell, scenes from the story of the final judgment of Jesus Christ on the Day of Judgment, the dead, angels and the events of the Day of Judgment are the details that can be seen around this gate.

There are standing statues of the 12 apostles of Christ on the right and left sides of the door. In the crescent-shaped part above the gate, the story of the final judgment and the events of the Day of Judgment can be seen.

In this section, you will see three rows of sculptures and carvings and reliefs.

The bottom row shows the dead rising from the grave with the trumpets of the angels. In the second row, you can see the Archangel Michael who is weighing the souls or the dead who have risen from the grave. Mikael sends the celestials to the stone door on the left, on the other hand, the guardian of hell chains the hellians and drags them to the stone door on the right.

On top of the side pillars of the door, there are two small stone doors that symbolize heaven and hell; The stone door on the right, which is closed, symbolizes hell, and the door on the left, which is always open, is known as the door of heaven.

In fact, these engravings show the fate of man on the Day of Resurrection.

Finally, in the upper row, you see Jesus leaning on the throne of judgment and raising his hands. The interesting point of this carving is its extraordinary details; They have engraved wounds on the hands and feet of Jesus, which were caused by being crucified.

Two angels are standing next to Jesus, one holding a cross and the other a spear in their hands. Hazrat Maryam and Hazrat Yahya are placed on both sides of these two angels. Hazrat Maryam is kneeling on the left and Hazrat Yahya is on the right; Both pray for the dead who rise below the grave.

On the edge of the crescent-shaped part, you can see six rows of angels, religious elders, chaste women, and prophets, all of whom are witnesses of the divine court.

If you pay attention to the central part, on the main column that is placed between the two parts of the gate, you will see the statue of Jesus. Christ is standing as a teacher, holding a book in his hand and preaching with his other hand.

Gate of the Holy Mary

One of the two side gates is the gate of the Holy Mary or the Virgin Mary. After visiting the Notre-Dame church, you will leave this door.

First, we start from the crescent-shaped part of the gate. If you look closely at this crescent-like part above the door, you will see three rows of reliefs and sculptures.

In the upper row, you can see the coronation scene of Hazrat Maryam. In this scene, Maryam is sitting on a throne next to Jesus; At the same time, there is an angel next to them who performs the coronation ceremony. In the margin of this part, there are angels and elders who witness the crowning of Maryam in heaven.

In the middle row, the body of Maryam is taken to heaven by two angels. Beside them, Jesus and his 12 apostles are standing and looking at the lifeless body of Maryam.

There are six people in the bottom row; Three prophets on the left and three kings on the right. All these six people have inscriptions in their hands and announce the birth of Jesus Christ.

In the central part, if you pay attention to the column that is between the two parts of the gate, you can see statues and other details. The standing statue of Maryam and Jesus is placed on the pillar; In this scene, Jesus is a child in the arms of his mother, Mary. Under the feet of Mary, there are also pictures related to the sin of Adam and Eve.

Statues and sculptures can be seen on the edges of the gate. On the right border of the gate, four standing statues can be seen. These are the statue of Yahya, two statues of saints and Pope San Sylvester. There are four statues on the left side. The statue of Emperor Constantine, two angels and San Doni are in this section.

Saint Denis was one of the first Christian missionaries in Paris. San Danny was arrested while preaching Christianity and his head was cut off. According to the narratives, Saint Denis walked in Paris with a severed head in his hand and continued to preach Christianity. The actions and fate of Saint Denis made the people of Paris to convert more to Christianity.

The gate of Hanna Qadis

The third gate on the west side is called Hana Qadis Gate. If you are curious about who is Hanna the saint, we must say that Hanna the saint is the name of the mother of the Holy Mary.

The crescent part of this gate, like the rest of the gates, has different details and sculptures that are placed in three rows. In the bottom row, there are prominent pictures of the marriage of Hazrat Maryam and Yusuf Najjar and the marriage of Hanna Qadis and Hazrat Imran. The middle row is full of engravings from the life of Jesus.

In the top row, you see Hazrat Maryam in the center. Next to Maryam, Jesus Christ is holding the book of the law and is sitting on his mother’s feet.

On both sides, there are two angels and next to the angels, the statue of the Archbishop of Paris and the King of France is placed.

The column in the central part, between the two doors, hides many details. In this area, you can see the standing statue of the archbishop of Paris in the 5th century, St. Marcel, who plunges his scepter into the head of a dragon.

On the right side, there are four standing statues of Saint Paul, Prophet David and a king. On the left side, similar to these statues, there are also statues of a king, a queen, Solomon and Saint Peter.

Forest on the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral

You might say that a forest cannot be seen on the roof of the Notre-Dame church; So where is the forest? The forest of Notre Dame actually refers to the wooden scaffolding of the church roof. It is one of the oldest wooden scaffoldings in Paris. About 210,000 square meters of trees have been cut to build this scaffolding. It was in the 12th century that these trees were cut down to be used in the construction of the church.

This historic scaffolding is known as the forest of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Places to visit near Notre Dame Cathedral

Whenever you go to Paris and want to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral, be sure to visit the sights near the Notre Dame Cathedral. In this section, we will introduce you to the places of interest near this attraction.

The Louvre Museum

You probably know the Louvre Museum. The Louvre is the largest and most famous museum in the world, located in Paris. By visiting the Notre-Dame Cathedral, you can easily find and visit the Louvre Museum and see the Seine River, which is located next to these two attractions.

Valuable works of art and history from different historical periods have been gathered together and displayed in the Louvre Museum. The Louvre Museum was formerly the royal palace of King Philip Augustus in the 12th century.

The Louvre museum is approximately 1.7 km away from the church. This museum is located in Paris, Place de la Concorde, rue Rivoli. Rivoli street itself is considered one of the sights of Paris. Walking on this street makes all your worries disappear from your mind for a few minutes.

Champs Elysees

Champs-Elysées is one of the closest places of interest in Paris to Notre Dame. Also, this street is considered one of the most famous and top tourist attractions in Paris.

Magnificent buildings and attractive sights on the street and every detail you see on the street and among people are unlikely to be erased from your mind anytime soon. Memorable buildings, various stores on Champs-Elysées Street and the view of this street at night are details that will delight you.

The Champs Elysees connects the Place de la Concorde to the Place Charles de Gaulle and is very close to the Seine River and the Louvre Museum. Also, the Arc de Triomphe, which we will talk about a little further, is located near Champs-Elysées. If you want to go from Notre Dame to Champs-Elysées, you will only have 4.2 kilometers to go.

Eiffel tower

The Eiffel Tower is undoubtedly the most famous attraction in Paris. It is impossible for you to go to Paris and not visit the Eiffel Tower; Not seeing this attraction is like not having visited half of the sights of Paris.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most important metal structures in the world and a symbol of France. Eiffel has been registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List and has an exemplary reputation among people and tourists.

By visiting the Eiffel Tower, you will visit this unique metal structure, and you can spend time and enjoy in the restaurants and platforms around. If you stand on these platforms, you will see a unique and unforgettable view of Paris. Eiffel Tower is only 4.9 km away from Notre Dame Cathedral.

pantheon

The Pantheon is located in Laten neighborhood and is only 1.9 km away from Notre Dame Cathedral. It was in 1758 that Louis XV, the king of France at the time, ordered the construction of the Pantheon; The construction of this structure lasted until 1789 AD. The Pantheon was built by the famous French architect, Jean Romain Solofou.

This building is currently used as the tomb of 72 French celebrities; Some of these famous people are Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, André Malraux, Emile Zola and Pierre Curie. It is interesting to know that the name of this structure was inspired by the Greek tombs that were dedicated to the gods.

triumphal arch

The Arc de Triomphe is the last attraction of Paris that we mention in this section. This arch was given to the victorious French army of the revolution and the first emperor. The order to build the Arc de Triomphe was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806. This structure is made much bigger than its size and it symbolizes the departure, victory and glorious return of the French army.

In the inner part of this arch, the names of more than 660 generals and 100 wars can be seen. In general, the details of this building are very eye-catching and interesting. One of the fascinating details of this arch is related to the soldiers who are ready to depart and are led by the winged spirit of freedom.

To reach the Arc de Triomphe, you need to go 5.3 km from Notre Dame Cathedral. Visiting these five attractions next to Notre Dame Cathedral can make your day; So be sure to visit them and don’t deny yourself this pleasure.

Accommodation near Notre Dame Cathedral

There are many hotels near Notre Dame Cathedral. When you go to Paris and want to stay near the church, you don’t have to worry at all.

We have listed the names of hotels near this church and its distance from Notre Dame Cathedral.

• Saint Michael Notre Dame Hotel, 1 km
• Melia Paris Notre Dame Hotel, 1.6 km
• Holiday Inn Hotel, 1.4 km
• Doao Hotel, 1.5 km
• Saint Louis N Islay Hotel, 1.6 km