After the Arc de Triomphe, we hopped on the subway from Charles de Gaulle-Etoile station to Hotel de Ville station (the ride took about 18 minutes). We were on our way to visit the majestic Notre-Dame Cathedral! Our Museum Pass covered entry to climb to the top of the cathedral for superb views! (8,50 Euro without pass)
As we approached the popular tourist site, the line snaked around the side of the building along the Rue du Cloitre. We noticed many people grabbing baguette sandwiches, pastries, or coffee from the shops across the street to enjoy while waiting in line. Very Parisian! After about a thirty minute wait, we climbed to the top of the tower for the views of Paris and to check out the famous gargoyles. The stairwells were narrow, steep, and spiraling, but worth every step. It was a beautiful sunny day and the views were absolutely breathtaking.
In 1163, Pope Alexander III commissioned construction of Notre Dame, “Our Lady.” Construction lasted about 170 years. The Catholic cathedral was, beyond a doubt, a Gothic style masterpiece, featuring spectacular flying buttresses spanning 50 feet, a high-vaulted central nave looking down towards a large transept, deep choir, and high alter. The outside towers rise to 228 feet high!
The “Galerie des Chimeres” are legendary gargoyles representing souls caught between heaven and earth. Also, the cathedral inspired Victor Hugo’s book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831).
We took our time and immersed ourselves in the history and architecture of Notre Dame Cathedral. We used the Notre Dame walking tour detailed in Rick Steves’ Paris 2015 guide book. Rick Steves thoroughly mapped out and described historical features and architectural highlights including detailed descriptions of works by major sculptors, Charles le Brun religious paintings, rose windows depicting biblical stories, and much more. We laughed when we noticed several Americans carrying the same book!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.