 | Cathédrale
Notre Dame : If Paris has a heart, then this is it. Notre Dame de Paris is not
only a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, but has also been Catholic Paris'
ceremonial focus for seven centuries. The cathedral's immense interior, a marvel
of medieval engineering, holds over 6000 people and has spectacular rose windows.
Although Notre Dame is regarded as a sublime architectural achievement, there
are all sorts of minor anomalies, as the French love nothing better than to mess
with things. These include a trio of main entrances that are each shaped differently,
and which are accompanied by statues that were once coloured to make them more
effective as Bible lessons for the hoi polloi . The interior is dominated
by a 7800-pipe organ that was restored but has not worked properly since. It's
well worth the effort of climbing the 387 steps of the north tower. This will
bring you to the top of the west facade and face to face with many of the cathedral's
most frightening gargoyles, which enjoy a spectacular view of Paris. |
