The History of The Notre Dame Cathedral

This is a shorter extension article from the article about the Notre Dame fire. You can read that piece here, but if you want to read about the more comprehensive history of Notre Dame, then this article is for you.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral took almost two centuries to complete, and was the life’s work of a man named Maurice De Sully, who was a Bishop of France in the 12th century. He built the church after seeing and admiring the construction of a basilica built by Saint Denis, the famous parisian martyr. The first part of the project began full construction in 1182 with the construction of the Nave and the Sanctuary (the main area). Under King Philip II, the High Altar was constructed, allowing Sully the chance to attend the Notre Dame’s very first Mass celebration, before passing away in 1196 - long before the church was completed or even remotely resembled the gothic beauty we know (knew) it as. After his death, construction continued for another 150 years and it was built and modeled in the gothic style that Sully loved and wanted for his cathedral. You can read more about the timeline of the construction here.

After construction was completed, Notre Dame was never a central part of Parisian religion, with Kings being crowned outside of the city and being buried in the Basilica of St. Denis. Instead, it was a much more of a landmark, not often used for true religious ceremonies. The most notable event that Notre Dame was used for in the middle ages was the Feast of Fools, an event in which the Archbishop or some other high ranking religious figure, chooses a random person to be treated like a king for a day and showered in praise and gifts. Notre Dame was also viewed as a symbol of French philosophy, attracting young scholars from all over France.

The next major event in the history of Notre Dame was in the early 18th century under the reign of King Louis XIV. King Louis XIV decided in the early 18th century that Notre Dame should go through a significant makeover, to make it more “proper.” This meant that many of the iconic parts of Notre Dame, such as its massive stained glass window and its entrance, were replaced by simpler versions without much flair. Then, in 1789, the French Revolution came around and destroyed large amounts of Notre Dame, especially the sanctuary in the center. After this, the destroyed cathedral stayed the same, with no major repair or restoration effort. Then, in the mid-nineteenth century, the novelist Victor Hugo released The Hunchback of Notre Dame and revitalized interest in the monument, leading to a restoration effort in 1844 led by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. After 25 years of work, Notre Dame was returned to its original beauty and became the symbol we know it as today.