On the roof there were a number of beehives.Īs well as a historic monument and tourist attraction – drawing around 13 million visitors a year - Notre Dame is the heart of the Roman Catholic church in Paris.Īs the fire raged on Monday evening battled by 400 firefighters, the former mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoë could barely conceal his emotion saying he was “immensely sad” at the destruction of the cathedral. Several precious religious relics, revered by Catholics, were inside the building. The crowning of Napoleon as emperor followed by the success of Hugo’s novel focused attention on the building, prompting major restorations in the mid-19th century.Īs well as the wooden rib-vaulted ceiling which has been largely destroyed by the fire, there are fears about the fate of the extraordinary three “rose” stained-glass windows and the many historical artefacts inside the cathedral, including the 17th-century organ. The original spire, built around the same time as the towers, was removed in the 18th century but later replaced.ĭesecrated during the French Revolution, by the early 19th century, the cathedral was crumbling and half-ruined inside. It was also rung to mark the destruction of New York’s Twin Towers on 11 September 2001. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

The transept at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris. Among the most famous of the bells, the bourdon – named Emmanuel – has tolled at most major events in the history of France, including the coronation of kings, papal visits and to mark the end of two world wars. The north tower is accessible to visitors via a 387-step staircase, while the south tower is home to the cathedral’s 10 bells. The two towers on the west facade, measuring 69m high, were built in the early 13th century. The first stone of what was to be a massive edifice measuring 130m long and 48m wide, is said to have been laid in 1163, in the presence of Pope Alexander III, but it took another 200 years to complete and underwent frequent modifications in the following centuries.

The city had emerged as the centre of power in France and needed a religious monument to match its new status.Ī medieval basilica occupying the site chosen by the king at the eastern end of the Île de la Cité, one of two islands in the Seine, was torn down to its foundations so the new cathedral could be built. Notre Dame Cathedral was commissioned by King Louis VII who wanted it to be a symbol of Paris’s political, economic, intellectual and cultural power at home and abroad. The cathedral was immortalised in popular culture by Victor Hugo in his Gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, later turned into a Disney film. Photograph: Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images The stained-glass “rose” rosace on the southern side of the Notre Dame Cathedral is threatened by the fire.

The hunchback of notre dame cathedral