Travelling in France 101: Notre Dame de Paris

Travelling in France is unlikely to bore anyone for a second visit. In fact, it takes more than one day to be able to get around and visit all the historic sites in France. Many of the historical buildings or monuments are located in Paris. In addition to the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.

There is another historic and artistic building that you do not want to miss when travelling in France. It is Notre Dame de Paris. This iconic Notre Dame de Paris is the most famous French cathedral.


Notre Dame de Paris

This Notre Dame de Paris is greatly deemed one of the very magnificent examples in the world of French Gothic architecture. By looking at the cathedral, one can understand why. The phrase is often used all over France as a name for churches and cathedrals. Even though the full name of these magnum opus is Notre Dame de Paris. Many people from dadu online site just refer to it as the Notre Dame.

The planning of a new, grand cathedral in Paris began in 1160. Construction of the cathedral itself began in 1163, when either de Sully or Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone. Who actually laid the first piece of this masterpiece is still under debate. But it documented that both the bishop and the pope was attending the ceremony in question.

The cathedral consists of two parts; the western side is the main entrance with the two bell towers while the eastern side is the main hall and choir. In total, this masterpiece took almost 180 years to complete. In 1793, the cathedral was damaged during the French Revolution. Many sculptures and treasures were plundered or destroyed. One example of this is The Gallery of Kings.

Bells Towers

Today, the cathedral houses a total of five bells in its bell towers; one grand bell and five smaller. By smaller, I mean that they weigh between two and three tons, so they are only small when compared to the big bell. The big bell itself weighs 13 tons. It is located in the south tower and it is rung for major holidays such as Christmas, Eastern, all Saints’ days and other important events. The smaller bells ring every hour to indicate the time.


Notre Dame de Paris truly has an amazing outside, decorated with hundreds of gargoyles and statues, each telling their own story. While the outside of Notre Dame is amazing, the inside is just as beautiful. Inside, you will find spiritual statues, magnificent paintings, and breathtaking stained-glass windows.

Many of the old church windows also tell a story. With each part of the window telling a part of the story, almost like a modern cartoon. Most breathtaking are the three rose windows, which all dates back to 13th century. Although they have received some restoration work during the years. The windows you can see today are very much true to what the windows looked like in the 13th century. It really is quite amazing.