Notre Dame

Notre Dame, cathedral of Notre Dame (Our Lady), on the island called Île de la Cité at the heart of Paris. Notable for its elegant proportions, it was a model for the French Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages. An earlier church (perhaps preceded by a Roman temple) probably existed on the site of the present building, which was begun in 1163 by Bishop Maurice de Sully and completed, for the most part, by 1250. The original plan was later compromised by the construction (late 13th and early 14th centuries) of a run of side chapels completely encircling the nave and choir.

The west front of the cathedral is a classic of French Gothic style (see Gothic Art and Architecture), with three richly carved portals, or doorways. The central portal depicts the biblical story of the Last Judgment. The north and south transept fronts, which date from the second half of the 13th century, are decorated with two rose windows, circular stained-glass windows constructed using a technique called bar tracery, an elaborate stone support system. Another rose window, at the west front of the cathedral, is considered a masterpiece of Gothic engineering for its large glass surface area, which is supported by a seemingly delicate web of carved stone tracery.

The cathedral's interior, 35 m (115 ft) tall, has lost most of its medieval glass, as well as its original fittings (largely removed during liturgical reorderings in the 18th century). Vandalized during the French Revolution (1789-1799), the building was restored by French architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc during the 19th century: The tall spire over the crossing is his work. French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and the Empress Josephine were crowned at Notre Dame in 1804.