Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [112]
Fodor’s Choice | Notre-Dame.
Looming above the large, pedestrian Place du Parvis is la cathédrale de Notre-Dame, the most enduring symbol of Paris. Begun in 1163, completed in 1345, badly damaged during the Revolution, and restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century, Notre-Dame may not be France’s oldest or largest cathedral, but in terms of beauty and architectural harmony, it has few peers—as you can see by studying the facade from the open square. The doorways seem like hands joined in prayer, and the sculpted kings form a noble procession, while the West rose window gleams, to wax poetic, like the eye of divinity. Above, the gallery breaks the lines of the stone vaults, and between the two high towers the flêche soars from the crossing of the transept. The cathedral was conceived by Bishop de Sully, who claimed he had seen the building in a vision. More pragmatically, Sully needed a cathedral in Paris so that he could compete with Abbot Suger’s phenomenal cathedral in St-Denis, just north of the city. An army of stonemasons, carpenters, and sculptors came to work and live on the site, which had already seen a Roman temple, an early Christian basilica, and a Romanesque church. The chancel and altar were consecrated in 1182, but the magnificent sculptures surrounding the main doors were not put into position until 1240.
The facade divides neatly into three levels. At the first-floor level are the three main entrances, or portals: the Portal of the Virgin, on the left; the Portal of the Last Judgment, in the center; and the Portal of St. Anne, on the right. All three are surmounted by magnificent carvings—most of them 19th-century copies of the originals—of figures, foliage, and biblical scenes. Above these are the restored statues of the kings of Israel, the Galerie des Rois. Above the gallery is the great rose window and, above that, the Grande Galerie, at the base of the twin towers. The south tower houses the great bell of Notre-Dame, as tolled by Quasimodo, Victor Hugo’s fictional hunchback. The 387-step climb to the top of the towers is worth the effort for a close-up of the famous gargoyles—most added in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc—as they frame an expansive view of the city. If some find both towers a bit top heavy, that’s because they were designed to be topped by two needlelike spires, which were never built. The spectacular cathedral interior, with its vast proportions, soaring nave, and soft multicolor light dimly filtering through the stained-glass windows, inspires awe—visit early in the morning, when the cathedral is at its lightest and least crowded. There are free guided tours in English on Wednesday and Thursday at 2 and Saturday at 2:30. When it comes to views of Notre-Dame, no visit is complete without a riverside walk past the cathedral through Square Jean-XXIII. It offers a breathtaking sight of the east end of the cathedral, ringed by flying buttresses and surmounted by the spire. To put the cathedral in its proper medieval context, explore the super-charming Ancien Cloître Quarter, set just to the north of the cathedral. | Pl. du Parvis, Ile de la Cité | 01–42–34–56–10 | www.notredamedeparis.fr | Cathedral free, towers €8, crypt €4, treasury €2.50 | Cathedral daily 8–6:45. Towers Apr.–June and Sept., daily 10 AM–6:30 PM; July and Aug., weekdays 10–6:30, weekends 10 AM–11 PM; Oct.–Mar., daily 10–5:30. Note towers close early when overcrowded. Treasury weekdays 9:30 AM –6 PM, Sat. 9:30–6:30, Sun. 1:30–6:30; Crypt Tues.–Sun. 10–6 | Station: Cité.
Place de la Concorde.
This majestic square at the foot of the Champs-Élysées was laid out in the 1770s, but there was nothing in the way of peace or concord about its early years. Called Place de la Révolution, more than 2,500