Notre-Dame de Paris

The first stone of Notre-Dame was laid in 1163, under Bishop Maurice de Sully, and the cathedral took nearly two centuries to build; Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil were among its master builders. Between 1844 and 1864 Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Jean-Baptiste Lassus restored it, and in 1859 it received a new spire.

On 15 April 2019 fire destroyed the roof framework, known as the forest, and the spire. Both have been rebuilt: the nave and choir frames in solid oak to their medieval design, the spire to Viollet-le-Duc’s. The cathedral reopened on 7 December 2024, and the next day its high altar was consecrated at the inaugural Mass. Some two thousand workers and craftspeople worked on the restoration under its chief architect, Philippe Villeneuve; about 340,000 donors in 150 countries gave around 850 million euros.

Three visits are recorded. The first was on 2 October 2018. The second, on 21 March 2019, began outside, with a photograph looking up at the gargoyles and pinnacles, and continued inside. The third, on 3 February 2026, came a little over a year after the reopening.