Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris, (French for "Our Lady of Paris," meaning the church in Paris dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus) often known simply as Notre-Dame, is a gothic cathedral on the Ile de la Cité in Paris, France.

The building

The construction of the cathedral lasted from 1163 to 1345. It began during the reign of Louis VII.

It underwent restoration during the 19th century: Eugene Viollet-le-Duc.

Notre-Dame in history

Napoleon Bonaparte, who had declared the Empire on May 28, 1804, was crowned Emperor at Notre-Dame on December 2, 1804.

Miscellaneous

France's "kilometre zero," the reference point for distances along its highways, is situated in the square in front of the cathedral.

External links and References

• Notre Dame de Paris
• http://ndparis.free.fr/ (in French)
• http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Cathedrals/Paris/Notre-Dame.shtml (in English)
• http://catholique-paris.cef.fr/nd2/index.htm
• Notre Dame of Paris (©1952, 1955) is a book by Allan Temko about the building of the cathedral and includes many black-and-white photos. Written for people with no expert knowledge, it was so popular it was republished in 1962 by the Time Reading Program.

Notre-Dame de Paris (published in English as The Hunchback of Notre Dame) is a novel by Victor Hugo about a fictional bell-ringer of the cathedral. It has been made into several movies and musicals.