Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

After a refreshing drink in a traditional French cafe we finally made our way to the Notre Dame Cathedral. What a stunning building.

The cathedral's construction begun in 1160 and was largely complete by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the following centuries. In the 1790s, Notre-Dame was desecrated during the French Revolution and in the 19th century it was the site of the coronation of Napoleon I. It regained popularity again after the 1831 publication of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and has undergone major restoration since then.

The cathedral is one of the most widely recognized symbols of the city of Paris, and the French nation. It is known to house one of the world’s largest organs and immense church bells, as well as the most important relics in Christendom, the Crown of Thorns, a sliver of the true cross and a nail from the true cross. Approximately 12 million people visit Notre-Dame annually, making it the most visited monument in Paris.

Our original plan was to climb the stairs to the top but we were exhausted and having seen all of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc De Triomphe we decided we could give that a miss. We did make sure to check out the inside though and it was spectacular. The stained-glass windows were amazing and once again we were in awe by the craftsmanship of the many amazing works of art and statues, and the workmanship of the building itself.

It is so hard to fathom how these amazing structures were made so long ago and how it was possibly done. AMAZING.Read more