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Notre Dame Cathedral looms large in the mind when considering destinations to visit in Paris. To many the Notre Dame Catherdal was immortalised by Victor Hugo in the famous novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This story has also been made into several movie versions none more arguably better than the 1939 version with Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara. If your planning a trip to Paris and Notre Dame Cathedral you could do worse than view this film prior, click here to review details on IMDB.com.
The Notre Dame Cathedral was built between 1163 and 1250 and is a great example of early French Gothic architecture. By the 19th century the Cathedral had fallen into a state of disrepair. Had it not been for the writer Victor Hugo and artists such as Ingres our chance to see the Notre Dame may not have happened. At one stage it was considered that it would be destroyed due to the sorry state the Cathedral had falled into during the 18th century when neoclassicists had ignored Middle Age masterpieces such as Notre Dame Cathedral. During this period they had even replaced the stained glass of the cathedral with normal glass further demonstrating the lack of respect for such a historical site. It was in the19th century that the Middle Age period was viewed with a romantic notion and through Victor Hugo and other french artists it inspired the renaissance that we see today when we visit Notre Dame Cathedral.
The Notre Dame Cathedral is another of the most popular destinations in Paris. If you can capture a photo where few people are around then it is either very early in the morning or the French have won the football world cup. Tourists flock in the early hours of the morning to capture some tranquil time on the edge of the river Seine and Ile-de-la-Cite and wander around the Notre Dame Cathedral in amazement. A trip to the Cathedral is not just a trip inside Notre Dame you can also visit the Bell Tower and the Crypt that lies at the front of the Notre Dame plaza. If you have the time I recommend a visit to all three as it’s a wonderful chance to experience once of the great historical sites not just of France but a Cathedral known throught the world. However, the Crypt story is one for another day.
When first laying site on Notre Dame Cathedral the enormity of the whole site almost takes you breath away. Depending on which entrance or side you approach the Cathedral from you will be blown away by the intricate architecture and will appreciate why it took from 1163 to 1250 to construct. The Western facade is where the traditional entrance to the cathedral is located (see picture). This is always swarming with tourists and you will often see a line for entry into the Cathedral. I was lucky to be able to time my arrival well and slipped straight in just as I saw several tour bus companies arriving to drop off tourists to visit. The immediate grandeur grabs you upon entry within the Cathedral as the enormous stained glass windows and high ceiling capture the imagination. It is hard to fathom that this has stood for the best part of 800 years and could provide some amazing fly on the wall stories of life in Paris over the centuries.
To visit and experience Notre Dame Cathedral makes one realise that we are blessed to still see this in much of it’s former glory. It must have been a beacon that would have dwarfed anything in Paris during the Middle Ages. For those looking for momento’s you can even press you own Notre Dame Cathedral coin, naturally feeling like a keepsake I popped my change into the machine and out popped a nice sparking gold plated coin. While not thinking it will make me rich it provides rich memories whenever I glance at my coin.
After departing the Cathedral I journeyed outside again but just to take in the amazing architecture. The flying buttresses which have been incorporated were not in the initial plans for Notre Dame but they were included and are one of the earliest examples of this design. After taking in more architecture and just admiring the efforts and design that went into the cathedral I joined an hour long queue to the bell tower. Now this is the area where the classic finale scene from The Hunchback of Notre took place and was a must see destination on my time spent in Paris. From below I could see the gargoyles perched on the tower as though they were guarding the Cathedral.
I could hardly wait to climb the stairs and being only about 50 people from the front I thought by French standards and my experience in Paris I would be up the tower in 10 minutes, wrong. After a wait of about one hour I was released along with another 5 people to commence the walk up. Now these stairs were winding and hard work. Three young women were in front of me and after bolting ahead and after about two minutes I passed them as the were standing stiff puffing and one looked very red. I thought if young people were having problems how would the near 70 year old Italian lady behind me go. I was thinking not all that good. After a dizzying experience I ascended the top, while I could not climb to the very top bell tower and it was wet on the day I visited I was able to experience something akin to what the bell ringers of the day must have experienced as I gazed out below upon the amazing city of Paris. This view made you appreciate the uniformity and beauty of Paris in much the same way the first and second level of the observation decks on the Eiffel Tower provide.
My day was complete when I could get up close and personal with a gargoyle after viewing the bells. For those wondering, bell ringers don’t exist at the Cathedral now, these days electric motors do all the work saving the ear drums of those early bell ringers. I would consider at least three hours are needed at Notre Dame Cathedral. After you wait to enter the Bell Tower, visit the crypt and Cathedral the best part of three hours will disappear quickly. If your fascinated by architecture like me then give yourself a few more hours as I sat and just gazed at different parts of the Cathedral taking in the amazing gothic structure. To check further details, visit the official site here. One tip though it’s in French but you can logically work out opening and closing times from the link. If your interested in Paris and a visit to the Eiffel Tower click here to read my about my trip to the Eiffel Tower.
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[...] Paris it would be hard to argue that you would add this to your list along with the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and the [...]
such a great website!im going to thailand in may will u be reporting any stories? great work!!! keep it up!
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