Construction history
Medieval construction
Despite the poor construction quality of the subsoil, this location has a long history dedicated to religious worship. The Celts had held their ceremonies here, where, later, the Romans would erect a temple to the god Jupiter "Jupiter (mythology)"). Also in this place there was the first Christian church in Paris, the basilica of Saint-Etienne") (Saint Stephen "Stephen (martyr)"), designed by Childebert I around the year 528. In replacement of this work a Romanesque church arose that would remain until 1163, when the construction of the current cathedral began.
Already in 1160, and as a result of the centralizing rise of Paris, Bishop Maurice de Sully considered the existing church of Saint Stephen unworthy of the new values. The initial Gothic, with its technical innovations that allowed forms until then impossible, is the response to the demand for a new concept of prestige in the citizen domain. During the reign of Louis VII (1137-1180), and under his support, this project was financially blessed by all social classes. Thus, and taking into account the greatness of the project, the program continued quickly and without interruptions that could occur due to lack of financial means (something common, at the time, in large-scale constructions).
Construction began in 1163, reflecting influences from the Abbey of Saint Denis. To this day there are still doubts as to the identity of who would have "placed" the first stone, Bishop Maurice de Sully or Pope Alexander III "Alexander III (pope)"). Construction, including modifications, lasted until the middle of the century. Throughout the process, several architects participated in the project, which may help explain the stylistic differences present in the building.
In 1182 the choir "Choir (architecture)") was already providing religious services and, during the transition between centuries, the nave "Nave (architecture)"). At the beginning of the century, work on the western façade with its two towers began, extending in the middle of the same century. The arms of the transept (facing north-south) were built between 1250 and 1267 under the supervision of Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil. Other cathedrals were simultaneously built in the regions around Paris in a more advanced Gothic style: Chartres Cathedral, begun in 1194; Reims Cathedral, in 1211; and Amiens Cathedral, in 1220.
Later modifications
The cathedral was substantially altered at the end of the century, during the reign of Louis
Between 1630 and 1707 the Paris goldsmiths' guild commissioned one painting a year from artists such as Laurent de La Hyre and Sébastien Bourdon. The resulting painting was presented in the month of May, which is why this series of paintings is known as "the Mays." There were 76 large-format paintings, which were dispersed after the Revolution of 1789. Just over 50 currently remain, distributed mostly throughout the country's museums; Recently, a dozen of these works returned to the temple.
In 1786 the original central spire, in unstable condition due to centuries of inclement weather, had to be dismantled. After the French Revolution broke out in 1789, the building was desecrated and became property of the State. In 1793 more elements of the cathedral were destroyed and many of its treasures stolen, ending the space itself as a food warehouse. In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte formalized the return of the building to the Catholic Church and the resumption of its use for worship. Two years later Napoleon crowned himself emperor in the cathedral in the presence of Pope Pius VII. As seen in the famous painting by Jacques-Louis David, the interior was decorated on purpose with curtains and carpets in the fashion of the time, masking the soulless appearance of the temple in those years.
With the flourishing of the Romantic era and the success of the novel Our Lady of Paris (1831) by Victor Hugo, the cathedral was appreciated with different eyes. Under this new light of thought, a restoration program of the cathedral began in 1844, led by the architects Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus, which lasted twenty-three years.
Among the modifications that were made are: the insertion of gables in the windows, the central spire and the south rose window, the replacement of the stone of the flying buttresses with new stone, the reconstruction of all the interior chapels and altars, the placement of statues in the Gallery of the Kings, partially destroyed during the French Revolution (there are even some that are portraits of Viollet); Numerous chimeras "Chimera (architecture)") were added to the cathedral, which currently make up one of its most characteristic images. In addition, the surroundings of the site were cleared to give greater prominence to the temple and make it visible from further away, which involved demolishing all the nearby buildings and meant the loss of the medieval urban fabric.
In 1965, as a result of excavations to build an underground car park in the cathedral square, catacombs were discovered, revealing Roman ruins, the 16th century Merovingian cathedral and medieval rooms. In 1991 another project to restore and maintain the cathedral began with a planned duration of ten years; It was completed in 2000, but the colossal building continued to require maintenance and in 2018, after a public appeal to raise money, it was decided to intervene in the central spire of Viollet-le-Duc, which was in unstable condition.
While the restoration of the spire was still continuing, on April 15, 2019, a fire broke out on the roof of the cathedral, causing considerable damage: the spire and the roof, both with a wooden frame, collapsed onto the vaults and both the interior space and many movable property were seriously damaged.[1][2].
Events
In 1314 the Templar Jacques de Molay was burned alive at the stake in front of the cathedral, still under construction. In 1429, the coronation of Henry VI of England during the Hundred Years' War took place in the cathedral, and, centuries later, on December 2, 1804, that of Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor of France and his wife Josephine de Beauharnais as Empress, in the presence of Pope Pius VII. Due to this event, the pope elevated Notre Dame to the category of minor basilica.
On January 30, 1853, the cathedral is the scene of another historical event: the wedding of Napoleon III with Eugenia de Montijo. But in 1871, with the short duration of the Paris Commune, the cathedral once again became the backdrop for social turbulence, during which it was almost burned down.
In 1900, the French organist and composer Louis Vierne won the position of regular organist after a tough competition against the five hundred best organists of his time. In 1909, Joan of Arc was beatified and in 1931, the Mexican writer and activist Antonieta Rivas Mercado committed suicide by shooting herself in the heart, on a bench in front of the image of the crucified Jesus Christ. In 1937, Louis Vierne died during the performance of his 1750th organ recital.
In 2017 there was an attempted attack, committed by a member of the terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant with a hammer, quickly thwarted by the police.
On April 15, 2019, the building suffered a serious fire; Two thirds of the roof were destroyed, the central spire of Viollet-le-Duc fell and the rose windows were damaged. The fire could have been due to carelessness during the renovation works that were being carried out, but this assumption was subject to a lengthy investigation. The reopening of the cathedral, after five years of reconstruction, took place on Saturday, December 7, 2024.