Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris (6 Parvis Notre-Dame, Place Jean-Paul, Paris) (Metro Cité) – this is the famed Parisian Catholic cathedral, widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. One of its most turbulent periods was during the French Revolution in the 1790s, when many of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. Many of its windows were damaged by stray bullets during World War II. It has since gone through stages of restoration, especially with the waves of tourists that now visit it. From the 19th century into the present, literary students and others recall the Notre-Dame because of the famed Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. That story and variations of it have also been made into several film, television and theatrical versions.
Note: since the Notre-Dame is located in the center of Paris, many geographic distances within the city are often measured from “place du Parvis Notre Dame” (the square in front of the Cathedral).
Admission: Free. Open daily from 8:00 am to 6:45 pm (7:15 pm on Saturdays & Sundays). See the Notre-Dame’s website for church service times and other information (such as multi-lingual tours): www.notredamedeparis.fr