Lois, Kiwi working as UK Live-in Carer. I have to leave Ciao due to pain preventing me using my lap...
Lois, Kiwi working as UK Live-in Carer. I have to leave Ciao due to pain preventing me using my laptop for long. Have tried just reading but it is not working out. Thanks to all who read, commented and supported my reviews and membership... Lois
Member since:13.08.2005
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Notre Dame Cathedral is a Parisian Catholic church which welcomes parishioners from all over the world, for worship, as well as travellers who come to appreciate over 700 years of divinity and fine architecture.
I've been past it on several visits but this year fate called me in on a historic day, one remembered in sadness: the day the Pope John Paul II died. My sister and I walked around this massive, beautiful interior and we slowly realised the priest was praying sadly, amid holy incense and across the floor a growing 'pond' of candles around a photograph of the ailing Pope .
We thought he had died but other visitors quietly advised us that he was probably in his last hours. That evening he died and the next evening we went back to Notre Dame and took part in his special Mass, attended by the French Prime Minister. The entire area was closed off to traffic, police were everywhere and we were so moved to join many thousands for this really special Catholic farewell to the Pope who had visited for a special service at the Notre Dame 'Our Lady' in May 1980.
Notre Dame de Paris,
as it stands, was not the first church on this site but the church as it is now, has been a visually impressive part of the Paris scene, beside the Seine river, since the first foundation stone was laid in 1163 using plans designed by Maurice de Sully.
Construction took three stages until it was finished in 1250, with huge sponsorship from French kings during this time and from wealthy benefactors through the years.
Some vital statistics will give you an idea of how huge and impressive Notre Dame is: 130m long, 48m wide and 35 m high; the Twin Towers are 69 metres high and you have to walk up 386 stairs to get a magnificent view of Paris. The South Tower houses a 13 ton Emmanuel bell.
Most impressive feature inside has to be the Rose Window - 10 metres of the most fabulous stain-glass windows - what a feat this must have been for its creators and what a photo opportunity for me. It is, however, only one of many beautiful, themed, stain-glass creations which light up this truly ancient, house of prayer and communion.
The cathedral took a battering during the Revolution in the 18th century, with treasures being destroyed and parts of the building wrecked but it has recovered. What you see today is just magnificent.
All cathedrals have huge majesty and awe but Notre Dame really does quiet you, forces you to be peaceful, to contemplate the energy and effort craftsmen and women have put in over the centuries.
In 1991 a modern ''general maintenance'' programme commenced so today you may have ugly scaffolding obscuring your view of creatively attractive features, but you have to remind yourself that it is all for the future preservation and maintenance of Notre Dame.
We would have liked to go to a sacred music concerts which we'd been told are held in Notre Dame but time constraints prevented us from doing so. If cathedral choral music interests you, check this out because I think the accoustics would be ''heavenly'' here.
And from the heavens: Notre Dame has a special place in literary history. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo's Quasimodo, I'm reliably informed that it is not him currently ringing the Emmanuel Bell!
From the exterior, the front of Notre Dame Cathedral is architecturally stunning; two massive white towers and three big, arched doorways welcome you to this historic Paris landmark.
Hundreds and hundreds of people gather outside the front of Notre Dame; each time I've been past it the scene is one of a parklike setting, with many people sitting, chatting and of course taking photos out in front. If the queue looks formidable, be patient because what awaits you inside is definitely worthwhile.
As mentioned earlier, I hadn't been inside Notre Dame Cathedral on previous visits and several people chided me and said I was missing out - they were right. Don't put it off, take the Hop on Hop Off bus, the Metro or reglar bus: be sure to set aside an hour or two to meander in and around Notre Dame. It is nearby the Louvre and just over the bridge is the Latin Quarter with it's narrow lanes and fantastic restaurants/cafes and little shops.
During the week Notre Dame 'Our Lady' opening hours are 8am to 12.30 and 2pm to 7pm. On Sunday 8.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 7pm. (I don't remember paying anything so I did go to the internet to check this out, after some searching I found a reference which said the catheral is free but you do pay a fee to visit specialist areas of the Cathedral and to climb up the towers.) I am sure travel agents will be able to give you up-to-date information or ask at your hotel/accommodation if you need to know before making a tourist attraction decision!
Notre Dame should be high on your list of Paris highlights, don't be like me, put it off or not go at all - when planning your next Paris visit, inlcude this historic, memorable cathedral.
Pictures of Notre Dame, Paris
A little prayer altar in Notre Dame
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Advantages: beautiful sceneries, plenty of stations, good quality hotels, fancy food, great attractions. Disadvantages: Expensive, The history of France isn't always appreciated.
hyperbunny62 13.07.2007 ·
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Oct 2nd, 2005
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