Paris Catacombs

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Before Christianity, a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter may have stood on the site, evidenced by the Pillar of the Boatmen discovered beneath the cathedral in 1710. In the 4th or 5th century, the Cathedral of Saint Étienne was built there, roughly half the size of Notre-Dame. In 1160, Bishop Maurice de Sully decided to build a new Gothic church, demolishing the earlier cathedral and recycling its materials. Construction began between 24 March and 25 April 1163 with the laying of the cornerstone in the presence of King Louis VII and Pope Alexander III. The choir was completed in 1177 and the high altar consecrated on 19 May 1182. The nave was completed around 1200, and the west façade was largely built by the mid-1240s. In the 1790s, during the French Revolution, the cathedral suffered extensive desecration; much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor at Notre-Dame. The 1831 publication of Victor Hugo's novel inspired a restoration between 1844 and 1864 supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. On 26 August 1944, the Liberation of Paris was celebrated there with the singing of the Magnificat. A fire in April 2019 caused serious damage, closing the cathedral for repairs; it reopened in December 2024.

In Their Own Story

On 15 April 2019, a fire destroyed a large part of the roof and the flèche. Reconstruction began in 2021 and lasted three years. The cathedral formally reopened with a two-hour ceremony on 7–8 December 2024, following an estimated $739 million restoration. Global leaders including French president Emmanuel Macron and US president-elect Donald Trump attended. On 13 December 2024, the Crown of Thorns relic was returned to the cathedral.

Reader's Guide

Notre-Dame is located on the Île de la Cité in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. It is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris and contains the cathedra of the archbishop of Paris, currently Laurent Ulrich. Since 1905, the cathedral has been owned by the French government, with exclusive rights of use granted to the French Roman Catholic Church. In the early 21st century, about 12 million people visited annually, making it the most visited monument in Paris. The cathedral contains Gothic, Baroque, and 19th-century sculptures, 17th- and early 18th-century altarpieces, and important relics including the crown of thorns, a sliver and nail from the True Cross. Key dates include the completion of the choir in 1182, the construction of the north rose window in 1250–1260, the south rose window in 1270, and major restorations in 1844–1864 and 1991–2000.

Did You Know?

• The construction of Notre-Dame began between 24 March and 25 April 1163 with the laying of the cornerstone in the presence of King Louis VII and Pope Alexander III.
• In the 1790s, during the French Revolution, the cathedral was converted into a Temple of Reason and then Temple of the Supreme Being.
• On 2 December 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor at Notre-Dame.
• The 2019 fire destroyed a large part of the roof and the flèche; the cathedral reopened in December 2024 after an estimated $739 million restoration.
• Since 1905, Notre-Dame has been owned by the French government, with exclusive rights of use granted to the French Roman Catholic Church.