Notre Dame is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of 12th Century Gothic art, and harkens back to Victor Hugo’s beloved novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Napolean crowned himself emperor here – literally yanking the crown from Pius VII’s hands and placing it on his own head – then crowning his beloved Josephine as empress.
Surprisingly it was once scheduled for demolition – but an ode to the power of literature – the vast popularity of Hugo’s novel revived interest and a movement was formed to save and restore it.
It is the very heart of Paris – and even the entire country – as all distances in the city and all over France are calculated from Kilometre Zero in front.
Any guidebook will tell you two things – climb to the top of the twin towers for gorgeous gargoyle closeups, and view it at sunset from the quais, when she glows, and the Seine sparkles in the twilight.
