Page 156 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

154  FR ANCE AND THE L OW C OUNTRIES

2 Notre-Dame

No other building embodies the history of . West Front
Paris more than Notre-Dame. It stands Three main portals with
majestically on the Ile de la Cité, cradle of the superb statuary, a central
rose window, and an
city. Built on the site of a Roman temple, the openwork gallery are the
cathedral was commissioned by Bishop de outstanding features of
Sully in 1160. The first stone was laid in 1163, the cathedral’s facade.
marking the start of two centuries of toil by
armies of medieval architects and craftsmen.
It has been witness to great events of French
history ever since, including the coronation
of Napoleon Bonaparte (1804) and the state
funeral of Charles de Gaulle (1970).
During the Revolution, the building
was desecrated and rechristened
the Temple of Reason. Extensive
renovations (including the
addition of the spire and
gargoyles) were carried out in
the 19th century by architect
Viollet-le-Duc.

. Galerie des Chimières
The cathedral’s grotesque
gargoyles (chimières) perch
menacingly around ledges
high on the facade.
KEY
1 The west rose window depicts
the Virgin in a medallion of rich reds
and blues.
2 The kings’ gallery features 28
kings of Judah gazing down from
above the main door.
3 The south tower houses
Emmanuel, the cathedral’s most
sonorous bell.
4 The spire, designed by Viollet-
le-Duc, soars to a height of 90 m
(295 ft).
5 The transept was completed
during the reign of Louis IX, in the
13th century.
6 The treasury houses the
cathedral’s religious treasures, . Portal of the Virgin
including ancient manuscripts A statue of the Virgin surrounded
and reliquaries. by kings decorates this massive
13th-century portal.
For hotels and restaurants see pp206–8 and pp209–11

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