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Notre Dame Facts

Notre Dame Facts
Notre Dame de Paris is a Roman Catholic medieval cathedral located in Paris, France. It is considered to be one of French Gothic Architecture's finest examples and is one of the largest and most famous churches in the entire world. The treasury of the cathedral contains some of the most important relics of the Catholic Church in existence, such as the Crown of Thorns. During the French Revolution much of the church's religious imagery was destroyed or damaged. In 1845 restoration efforts began, and another restoration project was started in 1991. Notre Dame de Paris is also referred to as Notre Dame Cathedral and just Notre Dame.
Interesting Notre Dame Facts:
Notre Dame de Paris was built between 1163 and 1345. Its construction was ordered by Maurice de Sully, the Bishop of Paris, in 1160.
Notre Dame is located in the heart of Paris, on the Ile de la Cite.
Notre Dame is one of the world's largest religious buildings.
Notre Dame was designed in a French Gothic style of architecture.
Notre Dame's twin towers are 226 feet tall and have 387 steps.
The largest bell in Notre Dame is located in the South Tower. The bell is 28,000 pounds. It is known as the Emmanuel Bell and was created in 1681. It is rung to mark the hours each day and on special occasions.
The magnificent stained glass windows in Notre Dame are original to its construction in the 1200s.
Approximately 13 million people visit Notre Dame every year, making it the most popular monument in France. More people visit Notre Dame than the Eiffel Tower. It is free to enter the cathedral.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame was written by Victor Hugo in an effort to increase the public appreciation for the cathedral.
In 1804 Pope Pius VII was invited by Napoleon to come to Notre Dame so that he could be crowned emperor. At the last minute Napoleon put the crown on his own head to crown himself instead.
The Crown of Thorns is kept at Notre Dame, along with one of the Holy Nails, and a fragment of the True Cross.
There are many small statues on the outside of Notre Dame that were placed there to serve as water spouts and to support columns.
The Cornerstone for Notre Dame was laid in 1163, signaling the beginning of construction.
In 1182 the choir and Apse were completed.
The Bishop of Paris, Maurice Sully, who ordered the construction of Notre Dame, died in 1196, long before the cathedral was completed.
The work to build the western façade began in 1200. The western façade was completed in 1225.
In 1250 the western towers and the north rose window were completed.
Between 1250 and 1345 the remainder of Notre Dame was completed.
A crypt was built in 1965 to house the ruins discovered there during construction. The crypt is called the Archaeological Crypt of the Paris Notre-Dame.
Based on a 1905 law, Notre Dame is owned by the French State, but the Catholic Church has right to use it forever.


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