Notre Dame Cathedral ...and the Hunchback of Notre Dame...

SSD_8959During the reign of Louis VII, in 1163, the first stone of Notre Dame Cathedral was laid. An ambitious project that took almost 200 years to complete, it is recognized for its Gothic architecture and its treasury which is purported to house the crown of thorns. The Cathedral is was one of the first buildings to introduce flying buttresses - arched exterior supports to reduce the risk of stress fractures on the walls of the cathedral. SSD_8863

The Cathedral is famous for its towers made famous in Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame where its main character was bell ringer, Quasimodo. We took a tour of these infamous twin towers, waiting hours in line to make our way up the spiral staircase that never SSD_8857seemed to end. Our arrival at the top of the tower was well worth it. We passed by an enormous 17th century bell. Weighing in at 13 tons, this bell now rings on special occasions only. The other tower, with four bells, rings out several times a day.

We also got a bird’s eye view of the gargoyles that gaze out at the CSSD_8881ity of Paris. Serving as rain sprouts, it is hard to appreciate the amount of detail on these ingeniously designed mythical creatures when you are ground level, in the courtyard of Notre Dame. However, when you get up close to them, you begin to appreciate how well crafted these creatures really are.

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