Notre Dame Cathedral Fast Facts
Notre Dame de Paris dates back to the 12th century. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site with Paris Banks of the Seine, it is one of the most beloved monuments in the world, visited by more than 12 million people every year before the fire.
- Length: 420 feet (128 meters)
- Width: 157 feet (48 meters)
- Nave roof height: 115 feet (35 meters)
- Tower height: 226 feet (69 meters)
- Spire height: 315 feet (96 meters)
- Only the cathedral’s three great rose windows retain their original 13th century glass
When was Notre-Dame built?
The construction started in 1163 on Île de la Cité, under the reign of King Louis VII.
Is the Notre-Dame open?
No, it remains closed to the public until further notice. Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is scheduled to reopen to the public by 2024.
Notre Dame is still under restoration and reconstruction from the fire. No interior visits are possible at this time. In the meantime, you can explore Notre-Dame virtually.
The cathedral’s “parvis” (an enclosed area in front of a cathedral or church) is accessible to the public since May 2020.
Where is Notre Dame Located?
Notre Dame Cathedral is a medieval Catholic cathedral located on the eastern end of Île de la Cité (small island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. According to historians, Notre Dame de Paris was built on the ruins of earlier religious sites: a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter and an early Christian Romanesque basilica.
Address: 6 Parvis Notre-Dame – Pl. Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris, France
Notre Dame Cathedral’s Architecture
Notre Dame Cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture in France. Its construction spanned two hundred years, beginning in the middle of the 12th century, with modifications made in the 18th century and a major restoration project carried out in the 19th century.
Notre Dame Cathedral went through 5 major phases of construction:
- Initial Construction
- Modifications and Adornments
- Ongoing Modifications and Improvements
- Major Restoration
- Rebuild and Restore
Construction of Notre-Dame Cathedral Through Time
The cathedral has gone through many changes in the past centuries. Have you ever wondered how Notre-Dame de Paris came to be the iconic building it is today? Watch below to discover the different phases of Notre-Dame Cathedral’s construction, from the 12th century through today!
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Notre Dame Cathedral’s History
By the 19th century, Notre Dame de Paris had fallen into disrepair and was in dire need of major restoration. Victor Hugo sounded the alarm in his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, which brought renewed interest in the cathedral and its fate.
Apart from cleaning the cathedral’s western façade in the 1990s, Notre Dame Cathedral did not have any significant restoration work in over 150 years. As a result of time, weather, pollution and the inferior quality of stone used in the 19th century restoration, the cathedral was again in dire need of repair. To address these critical conditions, a second major renovation project was launched by the French government in 2018.
On April 15, 2019, the entire scope of the project changed when a devastating fire broke out under Notre Dame Cathedral’s roof. The fire destroyed the spire and caused extensive damage to the roof, vaults and interior of the cathedral.
Now, the mission is to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral. French President Emmanuel Macron has declared a deadline of opening the cathedral to the public by 2024, with renovation and restoration efforts continuing in the years beyond.
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Explore Notre Dame virtually through its artifacts
Today, Notre Dame consists of a choir, apse, transept and a nave flanked by double aisles and square chapels. The central spire that was destroyed in the 2019 fire was added during restoration in the 19th century, replacing the original, which had been completely removed in the 18th century because of instability.