Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris fire | The damage to historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris due to an overnight blaze has left the entire world in shock. The 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks of the French capital and a major tourist attraction. Regarded as a Gothic architectural marvel, the Notre Dame Cathedral houses artifacts, artwork and relics, some of which date back to the 13th century. It also served as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris.
Work on the cathedral began in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely complete by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the ensuing centuries.
English monarch Henry VI and French military general Napoleon Bonaparte were crowned King and Emperor of France inside Notre Dame Cathedral in 1431 and 1804, respectively. The Allied forces’ liberation of Nazi-occupied Paris was also celebrated there in 1944.
In the 1790s, the cathedral was desecrated and damaged during the French Revolution, leading to years of neglect. Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame sparked popular interest in the cathedral and led to a major restoration project including the addition of the iconic spire between 1844 and 1864.
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