17/04/2019
FEW FACTS ABOUT THE FAMOUS NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL IN PARIS FRANCE
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame, where a large fire broke out on April 15, 2019, is among the most famous landmarks in Paris, drawing about 13 million visitors a year. The cathedral, whose name means Our Lady (french Notre-Dame) is the seat of the archbishop of Paris. The cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, from whom the church takes its name.
The cathedral was built on a small island called the Île de la Cité, in the middle of the Seine. Construction began in 1160, during the reign of King Louis VII, and was completed in 1260. It is considered a jewel of medieval Gothic architecture.
It was damaged and neglected in the 1790s, during the French Revolution. Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, “Notre-Dame of Paris,” published in English as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” informed readers about the building’s decrepit condition.
The book helped spur significant overhauls from 1844 to 1864, when the architects Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc redid the spire and flying buttresses.
The building had already been burned by fire previously. In fact, the present edifice replaced an earlier church destroyed by fire. Fire struck yet again in the 13th century, prompting new work on the cathedral between 1230 and 1240, according to the book The Engineering of Medieval Cathedrals.
HISTORICAL EVENTS
The Cathedral had been the site for many historical events in Europe. Few events are the following:
1431- Henry VI of England was made king of France inside Notre-Dame.
1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte, who also sought to save the storied cathedral, was crowned emperor there.
1909 - Joan of Arc, who had helped France battle the English, was beatified in the cathedral by Pope Pius X inside Notre-Dame.
1970 - General Charles de Gaulle's Requiem Mass was held inside Notre Dame.
RELICS INSIDE NOTRE-DAME
The Cathedral have a vast collection of Christian relics and artwork housed both within the building and on its grounds. Among the most prized relics at Notre Dame is a relic of the crown of thorns believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ during the crucifixion.
The cathedral also contains a piece of wood believed to be a piece of the cross and a nail believed to have been used in the crucifixion. Tunic of Saint Louis and collection of chalices are also keep there.
The spire of the cathedral, which collapsed Monday April 15, 2019 due to fire, contained the relics of St. Denis and St. Genevieve, the patron saints of Paris. St. Denis, a third-century Christian martyr, was decapitated and died later while carrying his own head. St. Genevieve is often credited with saving Paris by using the power of group prayer to divert Attila, king of the Huns, away from the city in 451.
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