When was notre dame de paris built

The main hall was constructed first with the towers, embellishments, choir and chapels added over time until it was finally finished in The cathedral itself was initiated by Maurice de Sully — the bishop of Paris at the time.

Pope Alexander III laid the first foundation stone. The famous rose stained glass window that has become synonymous with the building was completed in The original glass is still around today. Notre Dame acted as a centralized figure in Paris and France. Much like Westminster Abbey in England, many royal coronations, weddings and noteworthy events took place at the church. The church sat at the center of Pairs with much of the city being built with the island in mind.

Notre Dame is truly the heart of Paris. With its stained glass, pointed arches and rib vaulting in the ceiling Notre Dame has always been revered as an architectural masterpiece representing the gothic style. It was the external flying buttresses that made it a true icon as it was the first gothic church to ever have this architectural feature. Flying buttresses are slanted support beams that are used to support heavy walls and ceilings while still maintaining an open-aired space below.

In the case of Notre Dame they supported large towers and limestone walls while still allowing space for giant rose glass and stained glass windows. Flying buttresses are still used in some modern architecture today such as in dams or when building large stadiums.

Overall though they are used primarily to support masonry and stone construction projects. The church itself was built mainly from limestone, wood, iron and lead.

The limestone was Lutetian Limestone — the same type that was used to build the Chateau of Versailles. Most of the limestone quarries that were used to harvest the material for construction closed down in the 20th century when concrete took over as a primary building material. The use of wood in the construction has baffled the studiers of the church for decades.

Although much of the church — especially the roof — is wooden, there has never been a case of insect infestation or weakening of the structure. While much of the wood did burn during the fire many pieces were barely damaged.

For the first time wood from the church can be taken down and studied. Unknown information about 13th-century construction could soon be discovered through these efforts. The limestone in this building was actually mixed with iron particles to help strengthen and fortify the blocks. Lead was used primarily in the ceiling which is why it melted and collapsed so easily in the fire.

During renovations happening on the church in the spring of , a fire broke out in the attic. The fire persisted for 15 hours during which some paintings, relics, statues and other invaluable items were removed from the church and taken to a safe location. Firefighters fought to preserve and protect the two bell towers.

After the main spire fell, preserving as much of the church as possible became the main goal. People watched with shock and awe either from the streets of Paris or as secondary viewers over social media and news channels. They mourned the loss of an international symbol that more than 13 million people visit every year. But the cathedral did not fall. Notre Dame itself sits on the ruins of an old Gallo-Roman city once called Lutetia.

Ruins of an old temple were found in during an excavation under the choir of Notre Dame. This land is not a stranger to the threat of destruction — and neither is the church itself. The fire in was not the first that the cathedral survived. There are records of a fire that took place in the early 13th century with rebuilding efforts happening between and Moving forward through time, the church grew as a symbol of the monarch as well as wealthy and royal families in France.

When the French Revolution started in the church became a perfect embodiment for the hatred that festered within the French people both with the wealthy and with the Catholic Church in general. While the fire was still raging in the historic walls, French President Emmanuel Macron promised, "We will rebuild Notre-Dame," hoping that the cathedral will be restored by President Macron's goal remains to reopen the cathedral to worshippers in , when France hosts the Olympic Games.

The cathedral will be restored to its previous design. Two years after the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, reconstruction plans are causing a stir, as centuries-old oak trees are being felled. An anti-discrimination campaign to promote acceptance of the hijab has been canceled by the Council of Europe following outrage in France and across Europe.

Some are furious it was even made, others that it was pulled. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has traveled to the Vendee region where the crime occurred and expressed support for the French Catholic community. Visit the new DW website Take a look at the beta version of dw. Go to the new dw. More info OK. Wrong language? Change it here DW. COM has chosen English as your language setting.

COM in 30 languages. Deutsche Welle. Audiotrainer Deutschtrainer Die Bienenretter. Culture Notre Dame Cathedral: History of the Paris landmark It was one of the most popular tourist attractions of Paris, until the famous cathedral was ravaged by fire in Yet this too is no modern depredation of the original.

At the turn of the 20 th century, a Swiss-born novelist, poet, student of Paris, and naturalized French citizen named Blaise Cendrars evoked in one passage the crowds drawn to the Ile de la Cite by the construction of Notre Dame:.

Not only did Notre Dame survive all that. It absorbed it. Thus the physical trace of the rabble is retained in the oldest, most august, most sanctified monument of the city. It is much to early to speculate about what the architects and restorers who will be commissioned now to rebuild and renovate Notre Dame after the Great Fire of will come up with. And the five-year completion date announced by President Emmanuel Macron last week might be ambitious.

Crowds will be gathering around it just as they did in the past—moguls with deep pockets, and people of lesser means, too; plus scientists and other experts armed with the latest technological knowhow, collectively representing a leap in human ability as impressive as the leap that back in the Middle Ages made possible the construction of an edifice of unprecedented height with thin walls filigreed with windows—walls that have endured for years short of a millennium.

Tant pis , as the French say. Too bad. The Scene. Type keyword s to search. How can you rebuild the memory of a whole country? Notre Dame de Paris in the late 19th or early 20th century. The gothic cathedral was begun in the 12th century; the famous western facade was built between and Print Collector Getty Images. An image of Notre Dame from UniversalImagesGroup Getty Images.