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 Pope
Alexander III laid
the foundation stone. The idea was to replace the
Romanesque church occupying
the site - the Cathedral of St. Etienne (founded by
Childebert in 528
Construction
was completed roughly 200 years later in about
1345.
 The
choir was completed in 1182. As you may know, they
always build the choir (coeur=hart
in french) first and then sometimes the architects
realize they can not build
the nave in the same alignment because of the unstable
underground
and you have in France some strange churches or
cathedral (like the cathedral
of Quimper in Britanny) where, when you enter by the
front door, you do not
see the choir.
The nave
was built in 1208, and the west front and towers
circa 1225-1250.
A series
of chapels were added to the nave during the period 1235-
50, and during 1296-1330
to the apse (Pierre de Chelles and Jean Ravy). The
transept crossings were build
in 1250-67 by Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil
(also the architect of
the Sainte-Chapelle). It was essentially completed
according to the original
plans.
The reigns
of Louis XIV
(end of the 17th century)
and Louis XV saw
significant alterations
including the destruction of tombs, and stained glass.
At the end of the 18th
century, during the Revolution, many of the treasures of
the cathedral were
either destroyed or plundered.  Only
the great bells avoided being melted down, and the
Cathedral was dedicated first
to the cult of Reason, and to the cult of the Supreme
being. The church interior
was used as a warehouse for the storage of forage and
food.
After falling
into disrepair, a restoration program overseen by Lassus
(died 1857) and Viollet-le-
Duc,
was carried out in 1845. This program lasted 23 years,
and included the construction
of the spire (see image) and the sacristy.
During the
Commune of 1871, the Cathedral was nearly burned down by
the Communards - and
some accounts suggest that indeed a huge mound of chairs
was set on fire
in its interior. Whatever happened, the Notre Dame
survived the Commune essentially
unscathed.
 In
1991, a 10-year
program of general maintenance
and restoration took place and sections of the structure
were to be shrouded
in scaffolds for a while.
During its
history, Notre Dame has been the site of numerous
official and other ceremonial
occasions. These include:
- 1239:
The Crown of Thorns placed in the Cathedral by St.
Louis during the construction
of Sainte-Chapelle.
- 1302:
Philip the Fair opens the first States General here.
- 1430:
Henri VI of England is crowned here.
- Mary Stuart becomes Queen
of France after her marriage to François II, and is
crowned here.
- 1572:
Marguerite of Valoi is married to the Huguenot Henri
of Navarre here.
- 2
December 1804:
After the anointing by Pius VII, Napoléon seizes the
crown from the pontiff
and crowns first himself, then Josephine.
- 26 August 1944:
The Te Deum Mass celebrates the liberation of Paris.
(According to some
accounts the Mass was interrupted by snipping from
both the internal and
external galleries.)
- 12 November 1970:
The Requiem Mass of General de Gaulle is held here.
- 31 May 1980:
After the Magnificat of this day, Pope John Paul II
celebrates Mass on the
parvis in front of the Cathedral.
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