Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris, Notre-Dame de Paris

On the bank of the River Seine in Paris near the Louvre, the majestic towers of Notre-Dame de Paris, or, as it is also called the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris - «huge rock symphony, a huge creature and person, and people ... The miraculous result of the connection of all forces of an era, where every stone bryzzhet host hundreds of fantasy work of a genius artist ... »(Victor Hugo). 
In the IV. Some of the spot where now is the Paris Cathedral of Our Lady, was a beautiful church of St. Stephen's (30 pieces of marble columns are stored in the museum Klyuni). Two centuries later, not far from the church of St. Stephen, a, have another church, designed to Our Lady. But unfortunately, this temple destroyed invading the territory of France Norman. A short time later at the same place again, have a church dedicated to Our Lady. 
In the XII century. Both the ancient church - St. Stephen's Cathedral, and the Virgin Mary - have collapsed. Seeing in a deplorable condition of the two main churches on the island of the Cité in the heart of the city, the bishop of Paris, Maurice de Syulli decided to erect a temple to replace them. 
According to the Episcopia future cathedral was to surpass the splendor of all that was constructed before, and be worthy of its high purpose - to become the main cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady. The first stone cathedral was laid in 1163g. King Louis VII, and specifically came to Paris at the ceremony the Pope Alexander III. A 1182g. Blessing was the main altar. In 1185 the Jerusalem Patriarch Heraclitus had already served the first Mass there. In general, the construction of the temple lasted for almost two centuries: started in 1163 and ended in 1330-m. 
Originally planned that the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris was to include all residents of the city - 10 000. But until its built, it took more polutorasta years, and the population of Paris has grown many times over. Now, the Notre-Dame de Paris can simultaneously accommodate a 9000 people. 
Notre Dame de Paris is located on a small island the middle of the Seine Cité. Outlines his island resembles a ship, therefore, no coincidence that the emblem of the city of Paris depicts a ship and the motto - «He swings, but he did not sinks». 
By virtue of the fact that the cathedral was built over several centuries, its architecture mixed Romanesque and Gothic styles. Openwork lancet arches and stained-glass windows, typical of the Gothic cathedrals, «grow» of massive walls and ceilings of Romanesque period. 
Inside the cathedral, there is no wall at all - they replace the frame of poles, connected by arches. All space is filled with stained-glass arches - multicolored paintings, skillfully composed of many thousands of pieces of glass. 
The fate of the cathedral, built over centuries, are closely intertwined with the life of the city. Notre Dame is often witnessed great victories, and emotional dramas. At Cathedral Square once danced Gypsy Esmeralda from the cathedral parvis watched it Claude Frollo, and the ugly among chimeras muchilsya in heavy thoughts hunchback Quasimodo. 
Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris is divided into five nefov average - higher and more rest. The height of it - 35metrov. Such codes could fit a house in 12 floors. Middle of the main nave nave crossed by another of the same height, the nave, two (longitudinal and transverse) form a cross. This is done specifically for the cathedral resembled a cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. 
The facade of the cathedral as if divided into four tiers, portals, windows, galleries, tower. And, interestingly, each layer is stretched horizontally, and the facade as a whole has a vertical aspect ratio. Three main entrance to the cathedral look like arches, but not the normal round, a spiky, slightly similar to the boom. A wide staircase in eleven steps on the west side of the cathedral leads to portals, which are serfs embrasure, taper, depth of wall thickness. 
On both sides of the portals on the pedestals are sculptures carved from the greyish stone. They depict the saints, prophets and angels. Three Portal intertwined four openwork stone canopy on monolithic columns. Under the canopy are four huge statues of saints in the flowing robe. These - evangelists, the authors descriptions of the life of Christ. Above the portals along the entire facade of the building stretches toothed cornice with 28 niches, in which sculptures of legendary biblical kings, ancestors of Jesus Christ. In this sculptural composition invested the following meanings: each of the 28 biblical lords regarded as a prototype of one of the kings of France. 
Above the figures of the rulers seen the high narrow windows, and between them - a huge central window in the form of a circle with a diameter of almost 13metrov. Window is a poetic name «rose» - his fancy binding, and colored glass like bright rainbow petals. At the heart of «roses» Virgin shows and around in circular medallions, figures of saints. High above the windows on thin columns rose openwork gallery, which is lower plexus seems fine stone lace. From the gallery down to the Parisians looking figure with bat wings, snake heads and Swan sheyami. This is a chimera - an allegorical embodiment of human sin. Chimera's Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris, allegorically depicting human sins, perhaps more famous than the images of saints or the French kings. By creating their frightening shape, medieval wizard has retreated from a mythical canon (original chimera - a monster with three-body: the front - the lion, in the middle - a goat, behind - a snake). 
Gallery connects the two towers with flat roofs, which both look and solid, and air. Funds for the construction of these towers were going almost a hundred years, until 1250. 
Belfry Cathedral is both a sentinel towers of Paris. It could follow the approach of the enemy to the city and notify Parisians strikes the bell. 

By the middle of the XIX century, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris much different from what it saw the Parisians in the XIII century. Disappeared, absorbed by the soil, all eleven stages of the staircase. There was a lower number of statues in the niches of three portals. It was the upper row of statues decorating once gallery. Inside the cathedral, too, suffered greatly. Disappeared almost all the magnificent statues and colorful stained glass windows (up to our days, only partially preserved stained-glass windows the western, southern and northern facades), replaced by Gothic altar. At the site of magnificent sculptures have appeared crowd cupids, bronze clouds, marble and metal medallions. The cathedral was damaged. Moreover, he threatened total destruction. 
Therefore, in 1841, for the salvation of Notre-Dame de Paris was taken by a special government decision, and in 1845 began the restoration of the Cathedral of capital under the leadership of the famous architect EE Violle-le-Duc. 
Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris is the exact center of Paris. On the road near the distance to any place in France is calculated from the cathedral. 
Some historians claim that the building of a cathedral was erected on the place of the Temple of Jupiter once stood here when the Romans. This place is considered sacred since ancient times.