Photo : P e z i / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
La Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris stands at the tip of the Île de la Cité, in the 4th arrondissement, facing the square named after Jean-Paul II. Its construction began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and continued for nearly two centuries, most of it completed around the mid-fourteenth century. It is regarded as a great achievement of Gothic art, tall and bright. In the nineteenth century, the restoration led by Viollet-le-Duc added elements, including a new spire.
On 15 April 2019, a fire destroyed this spire and most of the roof over the nave, choir and transept, causing the most serious damage in its history. Reconstruction, decided in 2020 under the direction of the architect Philippe Villeneuve, led to an official reopening ceremony on 7 December 2024, the cathedral opening to the public the next day.
