The story of this place
Construction of Notre-Dame began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and spanned nearly two centuries. Here in 1804 Napoleon seized the crown from Pope Pius VII and crowned himself Emperor. Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame revived public love for the then-decaying cathedral, prompting Viollet-le-Duc's celebrated restoration and his slender spire. On 15 April 2019 a catastrophic fire destroyed the roof and toppled the spire before firefighters saved the towers and the relics inside. A €700-million restoration returned the cathedral to worship in December 2024, its stone scrubbed brilliant once more.