This trip was the first that I have taken to Paris without spending any time inside of Notre Dame de Paris. It and Westminster Abbey in London are my favorite cathedrals. They are both very old, very large, and very historic.
It is believed that there have been religious structures of various sorts and sizes on the site of Notre Dame almost since the Parissii first inhabited the Île de la Cité in the 3rd century BC. In 1710, the Pillar of the Boatman, which was part of a Gallo-Roman temple to Jupiter, was discovered beneath the cathedral. The remains of an early Christian church, the Cathedral of Saint Etienne, built in the 4th or 5th century AD has also been discovered.
In 1160, the buildings on the site of where Notre Dame is now were all demolished so a new, much larger cathedral could be built in the Gothic style. Construction began in 1163 and lasted until 1345, though there have always been additions and adjustments made throughout its existence. Analysis of the vault stones that fell during the 2019 fire indicated that they were quarried in Vexin, which is northwest of Paris.
The choir was completed in 1177 and the high altar was consecrated in 1182 as part of Phase One. Phase Two involved the four sections of the nave behind the choir. This lasted from 1182 to 1190. Building of the west façade began in 1190.
Although the flying buttresses were replaced by larger and stronger ones in the 14th century, they were originally created in the 13th century and are now considered (because of scans showing that the upper part of the building hasn’t moved at all for the past 800 years) to have been part of the original design. This was a new innovation at the time to allow the buttresses themselves to carry the weight of the walls. The walls could then be taller and thinner, with more windows.
During the French Revolution, the statues along the West façade of biblical kings were mistaken for French kings and beheaded. Many of the original heads are now inside of the Musee de Cluny. After the Napoleonic Wars, the cathedral was in such bad condition that its demolition was being considered. Author Victor Hugo (who also wrote Les Miserables) wrote The Hunchback of Notre Dame in order to save it.
During the Paris Commune of 1871, the cathedral was threatened again. The Communards had the furniture piled up to set on fire when they realized that burning Notre Dame would also destroy the hospital next door. Fortunately World War II only created some minor damage from stray bullets.
On April 15, 2019, a fire broke out in the attic of the cathedral which ended up destroying the spire and the forest of oak beams supporting the roof. The stone vaulting in the ceiling ended up with several holes, but did not collapse.
The stabilization of the building was completed at the time of my visit in September of 2021. So the photos of all of the scaffolding and bracing that I took was erected to prevent any further deterioration and keep things safe for the teams that would be involved in the reconstruction.
Prior to the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889, the two towers of Notre Dame at the western façade were the tallest structures in Paris. They currently contain the ten (originally fourteen) bells of the cathedral. Some smaller bells in a carillon in the spire and in the roof were destroyed in the fire. Although the fire threatened the towers, the firefighters were able to protect and save them from destruction.
The copper statues surrounding the spire had been removed a few days before the fire. The weathervane at the top of the spire, which contained a tiny piece of the Crown of Thorns plus relics of Saint Denis and Saint Genevieve fell when the spire fell. It was recovered with the relics intact in the rubble shortly after the fire.
The gargoyles are the rain spouts. The other creatures that decorate the building are called “grotesques”. Several of them are chimera, a mythical creature with the head of a goat and the body of a lion. They seem to mostly be in pretty good shape.
The three rose windows sustained damage, but are essentially intact. Just one needs to be dismantled and stabilized.
The first clocks in the cathedral were clepsydras, which were used to tell the hours, marked by striking bells. In 1766, these were replaced by a mechanical clock which was located at the north portal. In roughly 1812, the clock and its bells were moved to the north tower.
A new clock made in 1867 was located in the forest underneath the central spire. It was destroyed by the fire. A nearly identical movement has been located at another church that will be used as a model for creating a new clock for Notre Dame de Paris.
The paved area in front of the western façade is called the Place du Parvis Notre Dame. Originally Notre Dame would have been somewhat hemmed in by other buildings. So the parvis was created to provide more majestic sightlines to the main entrance of the cathedral.
Over the centuries, the square has been greatly enlarged. A statue of Charlemagne was installed on the south side of the square in 1882 and the point zéro medallion was installed in 1924. This marker was used as a starting point for measuring distance on the National Route system in France.
Since the 2019 fire, the eastern half of the square has been closed off to be used as working space by the restoration team. In addition to Charlemagne, a statue of the Virgin and Child was also located near the parvis at the time of my visit. It was one of thirty seven representations of Notre Dame that were part of the cathedral. I don’t remember ever seeing it before, so it could have just been temporarily outside of the cathedral.
In 1965, excavation work began to create an underground parking facility under the parvis. This was when many ancient foundations, some going back to Roman times, were discovered. So the Archaeological Crypt was created beneath the parvis. Normally this is open to the public, but was not while I was there.
Next time – Thoughts while on trip about experiences, learning new things, family history and a general knowledge of the history of a place.
