Notre Dame de Paris

CONSTRACTIONS:
In 1160, having become the "parish church of the kings of Europe", Bishop Maurice de Sully deemed the current Parisian cathedral unworthy of its lofty role, and had it demolished shortly after he assumed the title of Bishop of Paris. According to legend, de Sully had a vision of a glorious new cathedral for Paris, and sketched it in the dirt outside of the original church. To begin the construction, the bishop had several houses demolished and had a new road built in order to transport materials for the new church.

Construction began in 1163, during the reign of Louis VII, and opinion differs as to whether Bishop Maurice de Sully or Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone of the cathedral. However, both were at the ceremony in question. Bishop de Sully went on to devote most of his life and wealth to the cathedral's construction.

Construction of the west front, with its distinctive two towers, began circa 1200, before the nave had been completed. Over the construction period, numerous architects worked on the site, as is evidenced by the differing styles at different heights of the west front and towers. Between 1210 and 1220, the fourth architect oversaw the construction of the level with the rose window and the great halls beneath the towers. The towers were completed around 1245, and the cathedral was completed around 1345.


[edit] Timeline of construction
1160 Maurice de Sully (named Bishop of Paris), orders the original cathedral to be demolished.
1163 Cornerstone laid for Notre Dame de Paris - construction begins
1182 Apse and choir completed.
1196 Nave completed. Bishop de Sully dies.
1200 Work begins on western façade.
1225 Western façade completed.
1250 Western towers and north rose window completed
1250 – 1345 Remaining elements completed
During the Paris Commune in 1871, the cathedral was nearly burned by the Communards - some accounts suggest that indeed a huge mound of chairs was set on fire in its interior. Whatever happened, the Notre Dame survived the Commune essentially unscathed.
Significant events at Notre Dame\
1185 - Heraclius of Caesarea calls for the Third Crusade from the still-incomplete cathedral.
1239 - The Crown of Thorns placed in the cathedral by St. Louis during the construction of Sainte-Chapelle.
1302 - Philip the Fair opens the first States-General.
December 16, 1431 - Henry VI of England is crowned King of France.
November 7, 1455 - Isabelle Romée, the mother of Joan of Arc, petitions a papal delegation to overturn her daughter's conviction for heresy.
April 24, 1588 - Mary I of Scotland is married to the Dauphin François (later François II of France), son of Henry II of France.
August 18, 1572 - Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV of France) marries Marguerite de Valois.
December 2, 1804 - After the anointing by Pope Pius VII, Napoléon seizes the crown from the pontiff and crowns himself emperor, then Joséphine.
1900 - Louis Vierne is chosen the official Notre Dame organist after a heavy competition against the 500 most talented organ players of the era. He dies at the cathedral organ (as was his life-long wish) on June 2, 1937.
1909 - Joan of Arc is beatified.
May 16, 1920 - Joan of arc is canonized.
August 26, 1944 - The Te Deum Mass takes place in the cathedral to celebrate the liberation of Paris. (According to some accounts the Mass was interrupted by sniping from both the internal and external galleries.)
November 12, 1970 - The Requiem Mass of General Charles de Gaulle is held.
May 31, 1980 - After the Magnificat of this day, Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass on the parvis in front of the cathedral.
Generally, French Catholic religious events of national significance take place in Notre Dame.
The cathedral is renowned for its Lent sermons founded by the famous Dominican Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire in the 1840s. In recent years however an increasing number have been given by leading public figures and state-employed academics.