France June 2016 - Notre Dame
Notre Dame Cathedral was actually the first thing we saw in Paris, since took the Metro into the City and emerged across the street from it.   It wasn't until a few days later that we went in.
   
One of the most famous sights in Paris, Notre Dame is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, the island in the Seine River, where the city began.
 
 
   

It is believed that before the arrival of Christianity in France, a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter stood on the site of Notre-Dame. Evidence for this is the Pillar of the Boatmen, discovered in 1710 under the Cathedral's Nave and now displayed in the Musee de Cluny .  Four churches succeeded the Roman temple before Notre-Dame.  In 1160, the Bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, decided to build a new and much larger church. He summarily demolished the Romanesque cathedral and chose to recycle its materials.  Sully decided that the new church should be built in the Gothic style, which had been inaugurated at the royal abbey of Saint Denis in the late 1130s.

The cathedral's construction began in 1160 and was largely complete by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the following centuries. In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution; much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. In the 19th century, the cathedral was the site of the coronation of Napoleon I.  Popular interest in the cathedral blossomed soon after the publication, in 1831, of Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris (better known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame). This led to a major restoration project between 1844 and 1864.

While undergoing renovation and restoration, the roof of Notre-Dame caught fire on the evening of 15 April 2019. Burning for around 15 hours, the cathedral sustained serious damage, including the destruction of the flèche (the timber spirelet over the crossing) and most of the lead-covered wooden roof above the stone vaulted ceiling.  The French Parliament passed a law requiring that it be rebuilt exactly as it appeared before the fire.[9] Stabilising the structure against possible collapse is expected to continue until the end of 2020, with reconstruction beginning in 2021. The government of France hopes the reconstruction can be completed by Spring 2024, in time for the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
   
A good look at the row of 28 statues known as the Kings of Judah.
   
You can climb to the top of the facade between the towers and then to the top of the south tower (400 steps total).  I'm not sure why we didn't do it.  Probably a pretty good view of the Seine River and city from up there.
   
Inside the Nave.
   
High, vaulted ceilings.
   
I loved the detailed wooden model of Notre Dame.  You can get a feel for the big Cathedral in a way you cannot looking outside at the real thing -- it is too massive.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
A picture from our family visit to Paris in April 1973 when I was 15 years old.  This picture must have been taken from the river cruise.
   
An aerial view of Notre Dame (before the 2019 fire).  You wouldn't know from this picture the Cathedral is on an island in the middle of the Seine River.
   
The view in 1944.
   
A 2010 view before the April 15, 2019 fire.
   

During the fire.  The fire basically destroyed the spire and the "forest" of oak roof beams supporting the lead roof.

According to Wikipedia, it was speculated that the fire was linked to ongoing renovation work.  Then, due to human error and  lack of an automatic notification system to the fire department, the fire brigade was not notified until more than 30 minutes after the fire had started.  Firefighters arrived in less than ten minutes after notification but it was too late.
   
After the fire.  It's amazing how much of the Cathedral remains.  When I saw video of the fire, I thought the entire Cathedral was gone.
   
Painting of the Arrival of Napoleon at Notre-Dame Cathedral for his coronation as Emperor of the French on 2 December 1804
   
The entrance to the archaeological crypt is in the courtyard in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
   
Ruins of Roman buildings.
   
 
   
A model of Paris in Roman times.  The Isle de la Cite is clearly visible at center top.
   
 
   
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