Notre Dame De In Paris

History & Architecture of Notre Dame:

The Gothic visual marvel, Notre Dame Cathedral comprises key components like a choir and apse, square chapels, a short transept, and a nave flanked by double aisles. Another key component of the Notre Dame Cathedral interior is its central spire that was added at the time of its restoration in the 19th century. While the inner part of Notre Dame de Paris is 427 feet long and 157 feet wide, the roof is 115 feet in height.

The western façade of the Cathedral has two immense early Gothic towers, which were built from 1210-50 and add to the beauty of the Cathedral These 223 feet tall towers have three floors, which can be escalated by a staircase of 402 steps only. The doors of the towers flaunt fine carvings of early Gothic times and are also surmounted by a row of idols representing the Old Testament kings. The towers were supposed to be crowned by spiral, which was never added to them. Emmanuel, the largest of the 10 bells of the tower is located at the top of the South Tower.

The eastern side of the cathedral has the apse, having large clerestory windows that were added from 1235–70. It is braced by single-arch flying buttresses, making the Cathedral one of the first world buildings to do so. Flying buttresses is a daring Rayonnant Gothic style, which is renowned for its grace and boldness. The cathedral boasts of three great rose windows, which are the only windows retaining their 13th-century glass.

Notre Dame Bells:

The Cathedral has an organ, completely rebuilt in the 19th century. It also comprises of 110 real stops, five 56-key manuals as well as a pedalboard having 32-keys. Notre Dame de Paris has 10 bells. The largest and original bell Emanuel is located at the top of the South tower, while the nine are new replacements to the original (1681) resurrected in 2013 in the cathedral. The newly made second largest bell Marie hangs along with Emanuel currently. Emanuel weighs 13 tonnes and is rung first among the rest as an indication of daily events.

Restoration of Notre Dame:

The building suffered desecration and most of its religious imagery was destroyed during the French Revolution. But, thanks to the restoration process, which began in 1845 under the supervision of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, the damage was greatly restored. Also, the further restoration of the Cathedral, along with its maintenance, began in 1991, restoring the beauty of the original structure.