Notre-Dame de Paris
노트르담 대성당
Notre-Dame de Paris is a great Catholic cathedral that stands on the Île de la Cité, a small island in the middle of the River Seine in Paris, France. Its name means "Our Lady of Paris", because it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Building began in 1163, and most of the cathedral was finished by about 1260, although builders kept changing and adding to it for many years afterwards.
See it on the 3D globe →At a glance
- Country
- France
- Location
- Paris, France
- Built
- 1345
- Height
- 96 m
- Type
- Religious building
Quick answers
Where is Notre-Dame de Paris?
Notre-Dame de Paris is in Paris, France.
When was Notre-Dame de Paris built?
Notre-Dame de Paris was built in 1345.
How tall is Notre-Dame de Paris?
Notre-Dame de Paris is about 96 m tall.
The Gothic cathedral of twin towers, rose windows and flying buttresses, its spire rebuilt after the 2019 fire.
Notre-Dame is one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, a medieval style with pointed arches, tall windows and stone supports on the outside walls. It is famous for its twin towers, its huge round rose windows and its stone monsters. In April 2019 a fire destroyed its roof and spire, and after five years of careful repairs it reopened in December 2024.
How it was built
Bishop Maurice de Sully started the cathedral in 1163, and work on the nave, the long main hall, was largely done around 1200. Notre-Dame was one of the first buildings to use flying buttresses: stone arms on the outside that push against the walls so they can be tall and thin and hold big windows. The two front towers were started around 1210 and are 69 metres high. Three great rose windows, made from many pieces of coloured glass, were added in the 13th century.
History
During the French Revolution in the 1790s, many of the cathedral's statues and treasures were damaged or taken away. Napoleon was crowned emperor here in 1804. By then the building was in poor shape, but Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, made people care about it again. From 1844 to 1864 the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc restored it, adding a new spire and the famous stone creatures called chimeras along the upper gallery.
The fire and the rebuilding
On 15 April 2019 a fire broke out in the attic. It burned the "forest", the old oak beams that held up the lead roof, and the spire collapsed. Firefighters saved the front, the towers, the walls and the stained-glass windows. More than 340,000 people from around the world gave money to rebuild it. About a thousand oak trees from French forests were chosen for the new roof frame and spire, which once again rises 96 metres. The cathedral reopened on 7 December 2024.
Fun facts
- Notre-Dame has ten bells, and its great bells escaped being melted down during the French Revolution.
- In 1971 a tightrope walker named Philippe Petit walked on a wire stretched between the cathedral's two towers.
- A new golden rooster was placed on top of the rebuilt spire in December 2023, holding relics and the names of about two thousand people who helped rebuild the cathedral.
- Climbing to the top of the towers means going up 387 steps.
- Before the 2019 fire, about 12 million people visited Notre-Dame every year, more than any other monument in Paris.
On the globe
The model shows the Gothic cathedral with its two square front towers, round rose windows, flying buttresses along the sides and the slim spire rebuilt after the 2019 fire. Look for the spire rising from the middle of the roof behind the towers.
Quiz time
Which is taller: Notre-Dame de Paris or Louvre Pyramid?
Show the answer
Notre-Dame de Paris. (96 m vs 21.6 m) Louvre Pyramid →
Nearby on the globe
Sources
- Read more on Wikipedia
- Notre-Dame de Paris — Wikipedia
- Spire of Notre-Dame de Paris — Wikipedia
- 노트르담 대성당 — 위키백과
- Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris — Rebâtir Notre-Dame de Paris (official)
Updated: 2026-10-13