The Notre Dame Cathedral Paris or Notre Dame de Paris (Meaning ‘Our Lady of Paris’ in French) is a Gothic cathedral located in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France, It has its main entrance to the west. The island is on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité.
The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. The scale of Notre Dame was very powerful and the architecture was spectacular. We were amazed by the detail and the sheer feeling the building gave. Inside it is as most Cathedrals are, full of beautiful, dominating sculptures, paintings of Jesus and religious scenes. However this Cathedral simply has an even more powerful hold on your imagination and attention than any other, which we have ever been to. It was eerie, yet strangely comforting at the same time. We were spooked a couple of times and yet found a strong spiritual bond with it and one might say with God within the building.This building possesses a unique ability to bring about a feeling to anyone of any faith of unity with oneself with their surroundings and those around them.
Over its vast history the Cathedral has suffered considerable damage, not least during the French Revolution in 1786. Fortunately it was sympathetically restored and continued to attract attention from around the world. The Cathedral has played host to many religious ceremonies and historical events and despite their own religious beliefs people of all different faiths and nationalities still marvel at it’s unique grandeur.
The Cathedral of Notre Dame is probably best known for its relation to the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, made famous by the numerous cartoons and movies inspired by it. But it is the French Gothic Architecture that remains the biggest draw for visitors from around the world, an unrivalled, perfect example to this day.
Entry to the cathedral was free but to climb to the top, there was a fee and a huge line. The stain glass was worth seeing.
This is a truly amazing building. The details were incredible.We would strongly recommend that you visit this place and hope that you get as much out of the experience as we did. If we visit Paris again, we would love to visit the Notre Dame again.