Notre Dame de Paris (meaning “Our Lady of Paris”), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and is among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture.
As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, Notre Dame contains the cathedra of the Archbishop of Paris, currently Cardinal André Vingt-Trois. The cathedral treasury contains a reliquary that houses some of Catholicism’s most important relics, including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.
Notre Dame
Prior to planning for this trip, I could name four places in Paris – the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and Notre Dame. These are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Paris but don’t let anyone tell you to skip any of these because they are tourist traps. They all have crowds and long lines because they are all incredible. Notre Dame was early in our trip and one of the first aerial views of the city from the top of the tower.
There isn’t much I can say that the pictures don’t show better. Enjoy –
