THE DISTRICT / Notre Dame

Cathedral Notre Dame is located in the “Ile de la Cité”, separating the left and the right bank. This enormous gothic style cathedral started to be built in 1163 to the initiative of the bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, to be completed in the middle of the XIIIth century. It was a privileged place for major ceremonies, even if the kings of France were crowned in Reims. It is the historical heart of Paris and geographically, a little bit the heart of France since it is from Notre Dame that starts the mileage of all the major national roads.

Degraded during the XVIIth and XVIIIh centuries, it has been restored in the middle of the XIXth century by the architect Viollet-le-Duc.