A Deep Dive into the Notre-Dame Cathedral: History and Significance

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, exploring its historical context, architectural style, and impact on tourism. The essay begins with a personal reflection on the author's desire to visit the cathedral, highlighting its significance as a medieval historical site. It then provides a detailed overview of the cathedral's construction, Gothic architecture, and key features such as the Gargoyles, stained-glass windows, and crypt. The essay discusses the current condition of the cathedral, including the effects of wear and tear and pollution, and details the renovations and reconstructions that have taken place over time. It emphasizes the cathedral's role in supporting tourism, its major attractions, and the visitor experience. The essay concludes with the author's personal reflections and references to the sources used.

Running Head: MIDDLE AGES AND MODERN WORLD
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Middle Ages and Modern World
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The Notre-Dame Cathedral
Paris is one of the most beautiful cities when it comes to art and architecture. So, I
always had a wish to visit this place but the main attraction for me has been the Notre Dame
Cathedral. If I ever do have a chance to visit this place, I would like to see this site of
medieval history. It is at the Notre-Dame Cathedral that history comes to live and it takes
back people on a journey to the historical past.
Summary
The Notre-Dame Cathedral is situated in Paris and was built over the years 1163-
1345. It is built following the gothic style of architecture. It is an iconic piece of architecture
like the Eiffel Tower and is situated along the Seine River. It is one of the most famous
historical sites that Paris boasts of. It has almost 50,000 visitors on a regular basis. The most
attractive object in this Cathedral is the Gargoyles (Traub, 2018). It is considered to be one of
the best Cathedrals in the world displaying such a marvelous gothic architecture. This
architectural piece has been intricately designed and they are more profoundly visible as one
gets closer to it.
The Cathedral has carved statues at its entrance and when one enters, the cathedral is
surrounded by windows made out of stained-glass. Each wall of the Cathedral in lined with
paintings. The ceiling is gilded and it is quite high. In order to reach the highest point, the
visitors need to climb a stair with 387 steps (Elizabeth, 2013). The entire city of Paris is
visible from that height, thus making this Cathedral to serve as a viewpoint. There is one
more thing within the Cathedral that it boasts of and it is the Crypt below which preserves
remains from the past.
Current Condition

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Currently, this marvelous piece of medieval architecture is showing signs of wear and
tear (Walt, 2017). It has a huge pressure from the visitors on a regular basis and this tends to
effect the stone constructions. Other than that pollution is something that is making the
situation even worse. The joints and the stones that have been worn out needs to be replaced
but they need to be replaced using traditional items in order to maintain the status it has.
Pieces of stones cover the rooftop and the coating on the walls do crumble to dust when
touched. The condition of the Notre-Dame Cathedral is deteriorating with time. It needs
renovation and that too at the earliest.
Alterations made by the passage of time
This site had been a tourist attraction during the medieval period but it soon lost its
glory over time. It was only during the 19th century that this piece of architecture regained its
lost glory with “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” written by Victor Hugo. It was during this
period of time that the Cathedral received certain changes in its form of architecture. It was
between the time periods from 1844-1864 when two architects named Jean-Baptiste-Antoine
Lassus and Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc made certain changes (Breeden, 2017). Their
changes included the building of the spire, addition of the “flying buttresses” and a few other
changes in general. All these changes had become a part of the Cathedral and hence were not
seen as additions.
Renovation & Reconstruction
This piece of architecture had passed through a number of renovations over the years.
It was in the year 1960 that the stained glass of the windows were replaced. This added to the
vibrancy of the colors and offered the Cathedral a complete new look. Then again in the year
2000 after a continuous process of cleaning the pollutants that have covered the stones
carving, the entire building was given a white wash (Breeden, 2017). This made the façade

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much shinier than what it was previously. It was in the year 2013; the Cathedral celebrated its
850th anniversary and to offer it a new look a number of old bells were replaced with new
bells.
Authentic status
The Cathedral has kept its authentic status intact even after a number of renovations.
It still displays some marvelous architectural intricacies. The renovations and reconstructions
have been carried out in a traditional manner to prevent its authentic identity. The visitors feel
that the Cathedral has remained the same and so such additional changes have been made as
in yet.
Encourages/Supports tourism
The Notre-Dame Cathedral supports tourism as it draws over thousands of visitors on
a regular basis. It encourages people to visit during October to March as the crowd remains
low during the off-season. In addition to this the morning and evening time is found to be
suitable so that the stained glass can be seen.
Major Tourist Attractions
The façade is the main tourist attraction as it appears on a number of postcards. There
are three portals which attract huge number of tourists. The one on the left is known as the
Virgin portal, the Last Judgement is in the central and the right portal is called Saint-Anne.
There are 28 statues depicting the kings of Israel. The rose window in Notre-Dame Cathedral
draws a majority of the visitors. The other tourist attractions include the huge bell of Notre-
Dame that weighs about 13 ton. In addition to this the underground Crypt below the Notre-
Dame Cathedral draws more tourists as it houses a number of ruins belonging to the ancient

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times. Lastly, the roof of the Cathedral turns out to be a major tourist attraction as it serves as
a viewpoint.
My ideas and actual visitors experience
Visitors have shared their experiences about their visit to the Notre-Dame Cathedral. I
have heard about all the places and elements mentioned by the tourists. It is the chance to see
this wonder and marvelous piece of architecture that keeps on drawing me. It is true as
visitors say that even if they had visited a number of Cathedrals all across the world, the
Notre-Dame Cathedral would still provide a fresh experience (Shumate, 2013). The photos
that are available do keep me fascinated and I feel that even after a number of renovations,
this Cathedral appears to be all the same. It tends to preserve history in the best possible way.

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References
Breeden, A., (2017). In Paris, Worn-Out Notre-Dame Needs a Makeover, and Hopes You
Can Help. NY Times. Retrieved from:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/world/europe/paris-notre-dame-renovation.html
Elizabeth, V., (2018). 6 Fascinating Places in Paris to Encounter Medieval History.
Tripsavvy. Retrieved from: https://www.tripsavvy.com/encounter-medieval-history-
in-paris-1618469
Shumate, S., (2013). A SUNDAY VISIT TO NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL IN PARIS. The
Wander Blogger. Retrieved from: https://www.thewanderblogger.com/notre-dame-
cathedral-paris/
Traub, C., (2018). Eye-Catching Details at Notre Dame Cathedral. Tripsavvy. Retrieved
from: https://www.tripsavvy.com/notre-dame-cathedral-highlights-and-facts-1618863
Walt, V., (2017). Notre Dame Cathedral Is Crumbling. Who Will Help Save It? TIME.
Retrieved from: http://time.com/4876087/notre-dame-cathedral-is-crumbling/