The iconic Paris landmark is reopening soon. Time to brush up on your historical fun facts.
When you consider of a stumble to Paris , one of the most visited cities in the world , what do you image ? savor a picnic on the Champ de Mars as the Tour Eiffel tower over you ? Walking along the Seine , once in a while pausing to discontinue at one of the secondhand bookstores that line the river ? For many masses , Notre Dame directly comes to mind , particularly in the backwash of the2019 firethat put down its steeple and severely damage the roof . After five years of stamping ground piece of work , the cathedral isset to reopen to the public in December , so let ’s reacquaint ourselves with its account ahead of the landmark ’s grand reopening .
1. It’s not the largest.
Despite being the most famous Notre Dame , that honour goes to Cathédrale Notre - Dame d’Amiens , in the Somme Valley north of Paris , which is the magnanimous Gothic cathedral in France at almost twice the size of its Parisian cousin .
2. This is the third spire.
The spire that was destroy in the 2019 fire was itself a replacement . The original spire , which dated back to 1220 , became too damaged over the C and a new one was instal in 1859 . building of the third spire was completed in December 2023 , and it wasunveiled in February of this class .
3. It’s in the perfect location.
The geographical center of Paris , or Point Zéro , is right in front of Notre Dame ; the duomo ’s central location on Île de la Cité means it ’s near several iconic sights , including Sainte - Chapelle and the Conciergerie to the west , the Hôtel de Ville to the north on the Rive Droite or Right Bank , Boulevard Saint Germain and Shakespeare and Company bookstall to the Dixie on the Rive Gauche or Left Bank , and Île Saint - Louis to the east .
4. The towers aren’t quite identical.
Despite appearance , the duomo ’s tugboat are sib , but not twins . Thenorth tower is more or less larger than the Confederate States , in addition to being approximately ten years aged . Both tug reach an elevation of 226 ft , and climb to the top involves inhibit roughly 422 steps .
5. There’s a surprise underneath.
An ancient Roman city lies underneath the cathedral : Lutetiawas a Gallo - papistic town that see back to the first 100 BCE after an earlier Neolithic colony in the area was conquered by Romans . shadow of buildings from this time were found underneath Notre Dame , including baths and the oldest monument in Paris .
6. Monuments on monuments.
That repository was discovered under Notre Dame in 1710 — a first century AD Roman artefact , thePillar of the Boatmenserved as an offer from the boatmen of the Seine to the Roman Emperor Tiberius . It was expose during the mental synthesis of a crypt underneath the nave of Notre Dame , and is now housed at the Musée de Cluny .
7. Plus relics.
The cathedral house Jesus ’ Crown of Thorns ( a souvenir thought to contain pieces of the poll worn by Jesus ahead of his crucifixion ) from the prison term of the French Revolution to the 2019 fire . Prior to that , the crown could be chance at nearby Sainte - Chapelle , where it was installed after it was offered to King Louis IX by Baldwin II , the Latin Emperor of Constantinople , in 1238 . Since the 2019 fervency , the crown has been keep in a safe in the Musée du Louvre .
8. Not to mention Saints, Kings, and Emperors.
Notre Dame has borne witness to several key moments in French account : it ’s where Joan of Arc was beatified by Pope Pius X in 1909 , and also where Napoleon Bonaparte ’s coronation took place on December 2 , 1804 . It ’s feature in English history , too : Henry VI of England was crowned King of France there in 1431 , although his call was disputed .
9. It’s been from page to screen.
Like many Disney adjustment , Victor Hugo’sThe Hunchback of Notre Damehas a considerably darker ending than its toon opposite number ; in the novel , Esmerelda is hanged , and Quasimodo vanish . eld afterwards , excavations reveal a deformed skeleton espouse another at Montfaucon , inculpate that Quasimodo look for out Esmerelda ’s remains and died with her in his arms . On the bright side , the novelinspired the French governmentto form the Commission on Historical Monuments and allocate fund to the refurbishment of the cathedral , include the installing of the second steeple .
10. Obviously we must discuss the famous gargoyles.
Many of the gargoyles found on Notre Dame are not gargoyle at all , as gargoyles serve the specific purpose of channel water away from the side of a building . Instead , many of the decorations arechimeras — statue of mythological creatures or human - animal hybrids . Many statues that clothe the cathedral were slay during the 17th and 18th centuries : adaguerréotypeof the duomo that precede Hugo demonstrate a significantly less grace edifice than the one we know today . During the nineteenth - century refurbishment , lead architect Eugène Viollet - le - Duc bring gargoyles and chimeras in the Gothic elan .
11. A few heads have rolled.
During the French Revolution , revolutionariesbeheaded 28 of the statuesof kings plant on the front facade of Notre Dame , thinking they were past kings of France ; unluckily , they were the ancient Kings of Judah . 21 of the heads were rescue , and can be found in the Musée de Cluny ; replacement heads were installed during the 19th - century restoration .
12. And those aren’t the only things to be cut down.
Prior to the 2019 fire , the wooden lattice underneath the roof was known as the “ forest , ” because it consisted of 52 acre of 12th - hundred trees , with each electron beam made from its own individual tree . During the most recent restoration , dozens of150 - year - old oak trees were cut downto supplant the lattice ; in reply to criticism , functionary werequick to stressthat the trees would have been snub down anyway as part of routine forest sustentation .
Getty/pawel.gaul
View of Notre-Dame Cathedral during renovation work|Getty/SOPA Images
Adoration of the holy crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ during the Passion.|Getty/Godong
Gargoyle sitting on Notre Dame Cathedral and looking on Paris cityscape|Getty/ArtMarie
