It's official...

...Notre Dame is my all time favorite church. I want to show you the Notre Dame that most people don't see, since most photos of the beautiful church are from straight on. I found this beautiful sketch from the typical way it is viewed. As I was "studying" Paris, I read up on this church. Here's some facts for you along with some photos. My hope for you is that you will really see the beauty in the ornate detailing of this stunning building. Just think: It was ALL done by hand! Here are some fun facts!

*The Notre Dame was started in 1163. It is fully completed in 1345.

* The Notre Dame is located on the Ile de la Cite, which is the earliest inhabited part of Paris and one of two natural islands in Paris on the River Seine. The island was settled c. 52 BC by the Romans, after the Celts. For many centuries, it was the royal, legal and religious center of Paris, with 14 parishes in the Middle Ages. It continues to be those three today.

* The spire (the tallest one in the photo above) is 295ft high and added by Viollet-le-Duc (French architect famous for his restoration of medieval buildings.) Next to the Apostles statues on the roof, is another statue of the Viollet-le-Duc admiring his work. He started work on the building in 1845 and took 25 years to complete, including building of the Spire.

*The front three sets of double doors are called portals. One is called the Portal of the Virgin, another is called the Portal of the Last Judgement and the third is called Portal of St. Anne. They are actually each differently shaped. Here's a photo I found online.

*Each elaborately carved portals show Biblical scenes which were painted in the middle ages and represent what they are named (Virgin, Last Judgement and St. Anne) Above the three doors is the Gallery of Kings of Judea and Israel.

*The Towers (to the far left of the photo, the South Tower shown here) are 226ft high and there are 387 steps up to the top. The South Tower houses the famous bell "Emmanuel", weighs over 28,000 pounds, the claper alone weighs over 1000 pounds. The bell is Notre dame's oldest which was recast in 1631.

*There are gargoyles all over the church. 5,000 to be exact. There are many reasons for them, some say it's to ward off evil spirits, others are used as spouts to get rain water away from the walls and foundations, being that there are many flying buttresses (will show you later what these are) there had to be many gargoyles.

*There are three huge rose windows which adorn the north, west and south sides of the church. Only the north window retains it's 13th century stained glass. It is of the Virgin Mary surrounded by figures from the Old Testament. The south window shows Christ surrounded by the Apostles.

(South window and detail, found online)

(North window with detail, found online)

*The Notre Dame holds France's largest pipe organ. Here's another photo I found online.

*The interior of the church is about 455 ft long, about 98 ft wide, and about 125 ft high in the center.

So, enjoy the rest of the various photos I took of the most magnificent church I have ever been to.