Notre Dame

A Soaring Cathedral
The Notre Dame Cathedral is a magnificent structure rising high above the Seine River. The building was started around 1160 and took approximately one hundred years to complete. Dedicated to Our Lady of Paris, Mary, the cathedral was the dream and idea of Bishop Maurice de Sully. He not only was the main motivation for the building but in his will left funds to go towards the completion of Notre Dame.

Tower Bells & Beautiful Pipe Organs
Immortalized for ever by Victor Hugo’s, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the cathedral is a magnificent example of a more romantic time. There really are bells in the tower that ring out but you will not find a hunchback ringing them and dreaming of his girl. The name of the biggest bell is Emmanuel and weighs in at thirteen tons.

The cathedral is also home to two pipe organs, one which is the largest pipe organ in France. The organ has been rebuilt many times over the years but has many of the original features. The music emanating from the pipe organs when played add to the feeling you are in another time and place.

Touring the Cathedral
You can tour the cathedral which is located on a small island along the Seine River. It is over nine hundred years old and you can still attend church services there or talk with one of the priests that work there.

You can see most of Notre Dame for free. You can take a trip back in time to the medieval world of magnificent buildings and, gargoyles and underground rooms. The cathedral holds an underground crypt and a small museum room, which you can enter for a small fee and view a few lovely treasures inside. Exquisite stained glass decorates the windows and throws colorful rays of light into the rooms in which they are located.

History Alive
History comes alive as you walk through the ancient hallways and rooms or worship in the very place that people throughout the ages have come to worship in. The cathedral is one of those places that represents the heart and soul of the people of France. The Notre Dame Cathedral definitely belongs in the top ten places to visit when in Paris, France.