Paris is the European capital that has the largest number of movie theaters. Of course the movie scene has changed during these last decades and one can regret the disappearance of some mythical cinemas such as the Gaumont Palace, built Place de Clichy on the occasion of the renovation of the old racetrack for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, then brought up to date in the Art Deco tradition by the architect Henri Belloc in 1931. With a giant screen and  6000 seats it was the first one amongst  the large cinemas – the ‘largest in the world’ as advertised then – which sprang up in the capital in the 30’s.`

Nowadays you can still go on the Grands Boulevards to the Grand Rex, one of the most beautiful Parisian cinema built as well in the Art Deco style on the architect Jack Haïk’s initiative, the owner of the Olympia then. There you will find  again under its starry vault the atmosphere of yesterday. Those who are attached to the architectural heritage that some movie theaters show will be delighted with the announced re-opening of the ‘Louxor’ – located at the corner of boulevard Magenta and boulevard de la Chapelle – named after the Egyptian style of its facade.

Between 1946 and 1995, 70% of the Parisian movie theaters were closed down. Small ones and big ones.

The emergence and the increase of the multiplex system contribute to a redevelopment of the cinema scene: « we are no longer in the dream or poetic fields, we are in the industrial concentration, in the market share fields » says the photographer Jean-François Chaput; he decided to immortalize the Parisian cinemas that were fast disappearing however admitting that  « …thanks to multiplex, the average quality of the movie theaters has improved »…

No monumental movie theater on boulevard Saint-Michel or Saint-Germain, but places with a history. We must remember that before installing his musée du Cinéma at the Palais de Chaillot in 1963, the Cinémathèque française(1) owned a cinema #29 rue d’Ulm since1955.

Also rue Danton, as soon as 1948, Eric Rohmer led the Ciné-club of the Latin quarter where he met François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol and Jacques Rivette. He was in charge of the debates and of the bulletin that in 1950 became la ‘Gazette du cinéma’ , a cinema critical magazine five issues of which were published in 1950. Jacques Rivette collaborated on the magazine, Jean-Luc Godard wrote in it under the pseudo of Hans Lucas. If the term ‘Nouvelle Vague’ hadn’t appear yet, one can say that the ideas were those developed later on in ‘les  Cahiers  du Cinéma’. Those years were the ones of the rehabilitation of film-makers such as Fritz Lang, Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock.

At the beginning of the 60’s, films made by young directors who came from different geographical backgrounds appeared on the screens. A ‘Nouveau cinéma’ came to light simultaneously in several countries. If the Cinémathèque was a temple dedicated to cinema, the Latin Quarter was a high place for cinema-going public. It still is. With its high schools, its universities and ‘Grandes Ecoles’, there is a concentration of  students that characterizes it.  Numerous are the testimonies of film-makers or critics who recall their years of initiation in this area spreading over the 5th and part of the 6th.

The 68 events took place in la Sorbonne and its surrounding, they inspired several film-makers. Almost 40 years later Bertolucci in ‘the Dreamers’ (2003) and Philippe Garrel in ‘Les Amants réguliers » (2005) gave their distanced vision of this epoch. In 1972 Jean Eustache made ‘la Maman et la Putain’, a movie shot mainly indoor and in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés cafés for the outdoor scenes, already evoking this « no man’s time between the ghosts of a past generation and the blurred shadows of a future hard to foresee » (2) where Jean-Pierre Léaud evolved, an actor linked for a long time to the Nouvelle Vague and more particularly to François Truffaut who hired him in five movies, playing the character of Antoine Doinel that revealed the actor, aged 14 then, in ‘les 400 coups’. Jean-Luc Godard gave him several parts, among others in ‘la Chinoise’ and ‘Week-end’ that anticipated the 68 events.

If it is difficult now to find tracks of the Ciné-Club of the Latin Quarter, it is here that today most of the cinemas classified ‘Art et Essai’ are located, a status recognized in 1959 by André Malraux, minister of Culture then. Cinemas that have inherited more or less of the spirit of those years…

Le Champollion : at the corner of the rue des Ecoles and the street after which the movie theater was named, after having very nearly turned into a trendy clothes boutique, the Champollion was classified Historical Monument in 2000. The hall on the ground floor has an unusual projection system. A new cabin having been installed above the screen after a fire destroyed the projection room in 1941, a periscope device was set up that brought the image to a mirror put at the background which in its turn sent back the image to the screen. As for the basement hall it is its starry ceiling, made with optical fibers, that makes it noteworthy.

Walking the rue Champollion up to the Place de la Sorbonne, you successively come across Le Reflet Médicis (former Ciné-Reflet created in 1968) which has a hall named after louis Jouvet who directed and played the role of Knock both in a play and in a movie, and La Filmothèque du Qartier Latin. In this small part at the end of the street formally were the theaters ‘Les Noctambules’ and ‘Quartier Latin’ where in 1947 Gérard Philippe performed in a George Vitaly production the part of the poet in the « Epiphanies » by Henri Pichette ..

Created in 1968, le Reflet Médicis is part of an independent network (Les Ecrans de Paris) which includes two other prestigious movie theaters : l’Escurial and l’Arlequin.

L’Escurial : one of the most beautiful Parisian cinema with its big curved screen in the retro style Panorama hall. Allowing to get into the second hall – formerly the upper room of the cinema – the stairs covered with mirrors evoke the unforgettable final scene of  « La Dame de Shanghaï » starring the magnificent Rita Hayworth directed and accompanied by the brilliant Orson Welles.

L’Arlequin doesn’t lack of charm with its Art Deco remnants and its bar in the basement. This cinema, owned once by  film-maker Jacques Tati, was known during many years as ‘the Cosmos’. Its programming included then exclusively Russian movies. The famous France 2 anchor Claude-Jean Philippe has been animating for years now each sunday morning his Ciné-club with same enthusiasm.

A former dance hall – « Le Nox » – converted into the small ‘Théâtre Latin’, La filmothèque du Quartier Latin, nicknamed ‘la filmo’ by its regulars, has two halls : a red one dedicated to the everlasting Marilyn Monroe, a blue one  to the sparkling Audrey Hepburn. The programming of films that have for a long time remained unreleased such as the first Martin Scorcese feature-lenght movie « Who’s knocking at my door? », classics in new copies and rare films coming from all over the world and showed exclusively there, made of this local cinema a small  »Musée du Cinéma’.

On the other side of Place de la Sorbonne rue Cujas is l’Accatone, former studio Cujas, installed as soon as 1957 in the premises of the ‘Gipsy’ cabaret where Edith Piaf performed. This theater adopted a new name in tribute to Pier Paulo Pasolini by borrowing the title of his first cinematographic work; it was brought back by Serge Lebovici, producer and publisher of  » Editions Champ Libre » (1969) in order to show exclusively his friend Guy Debord films; the latter is another representative figure of the 60’s, known for his scathing critic of ‘La société du Spectacle’ and whose first movie « Hurlements en faveur de Sade » made a scandal when it was programmed by Eric Rohmer in the Cine-Club of the Latin Quarter in 1952. Guy Debord movies were programmed non-stop until 1984, date of the assassination of Lebovici.

Retracing your path, close to the imposing monument from which it took its name since its latest restoration, you will find Le Cinéma du Panthéon and its tea-room upstairs ‘decorated by Catherine Deneuve herself’… One of the oldest cinemas in Paris (1907) which was during 60 years the property of Pierre Braunberger (talent scout for the Nouvelle Vague) and a haunt for a mature cinema-going public.  Here Jean Douchet , a former critic in ‘Les Cahiers du Cinéma’, was given carte blanche. As he’s been doing it for years he comes to share his vision and love for cinema at the cinémathèque française to which he is still very attached.

If you keep on walking towards rue Saint-Jacques, you will reach rue des Ursulines where the Studio des Ursulines is located. This cinema created by actors Myrga and Armand Tallier who joined the birth of the Art & Essai movement as soon as the 50’s played avant-garde silent movies. André Breton, Man Ray, Fernand Léger were seen among the public that came to attend the first showing on the 21st of January 1926. Two years later a scandal occurred during the première of the film ‘La coquille et le clergyman’, a scenario written by Antonin Artaud and directed by Germaine Dulac. The projection was stopped as a result of the public and the surrealists (André Breton and louis Aragon were the leaders) protests. A few weeks later the film was reprogrammed by Armand Tallier who refused to call the police.

On the other side of boulevard Saint-Michel near the Luxembourg garden is the cinema Les Trois Luxembourgs. There took place the ‘Etats Généraux du cinéma’ during the May 68 events. Those three halls became later part of the Olympic network directed by Frédéric Mitterand, the current Minister of Culture. The network had a dozen of cinemas which were all sold in 1986 due to bad management. Open in 1971, l’Entrepôt was the first one. The present Saint-Germain, Le Balzac were part of it too. American, Egyptian films were billed…and stars to whom the anchorman of the TV program « Etoiles et Toiles »  continued to pay homage. He is among the first ones to distribute the works of Bergman, Kurosawa, Ozu…He programmed Pier Paulo Pasolini and Marguerite Duras and admitted their influence over him as the author of ‘Lettres d’amour en Somalie’.

As you walk towards the river, right at the beginning of the street that links the Place Saint-Michel to the Place de l’Odéon is the Saint-André des Arts. It was directed for 40 years (1971-2010, year of his death) by Roger Diamantis who refused advertisement in his cinema. On the Place Saint-Michel, on the opposite side, is L’Espace Saint-Michel, unfortunately known for  a bomb attack committed during the projection of Martin Scorcese film ‘La tentation du Christ’.  As for the Studio Galande, located between the Place Saint-Michel and the rue Saint-Jacques, its festive projections of ‘the Horror Picture Show’ (the audience in costume, rice battles, laughters and so on..)make of it a mythical cinema.

Finally you won’t have to walk much to find in the rue des Ecoles one of the last cinema of the  Action group; one of the group, Action Christine, is situated around Place de l’Odeon. Those cinemas are attended by the ones that Hollywood and its legendary actors still make them dream. The Grand Action at the very beginning of rue des Ecoles  is close to the university Jussieu and even closer to the Paradis Latin, Paris oldest Cabaret. Between the Residence Henri IV and the hotel Saint-Jacques l’Action Ecoles, recently renamed Le Desperado, has just been bought by the film-maker Jean-Pierre Mocky who, during ten years, run one of the few cinemas in the 10th district Le Brady boulevard de Strasbourg.

If you look at your guide of entertainments under the movies rubric, you may find among the rerun the Stanley Donen’s famous detective comedy « Charade ». Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant play hide and seek in Paris. Some scenes were shot at the hotel Saint-Jacques. This is not a legend!

(1) Nowadays it is in the Bercy district that it displays its collection. More than a hundred films are shown monthly.

(2)Jean-Luc Lacuve www.cineclubdecaen.com

(3) Eric Rohmer was the chief editor from 1957 to 1962

For architecture lovers

Those who would look for traces of Roman art will have to make do with the tower-porch of the church Saint-Germain, with one of the towers of the church Saint-Martin-des-Champs nearby the museum Arts et Métiers and with the cloister les Oubliettes in le Marais.

In the XIIth and XIIIth centuries, more particularly under the reign of Louis XI, a pious king, many churches and hospitals are built in Paris and its surroundings. It is the triumph of Gothic architecture : Notre-Dame and the Sainte-Chapelle – built at the same epoch – are the most representative ones.

The Latin Quarter, as a result of its history, is a privileged area with a dozen of churches, most of them deserve at least a stop. They often underwent many changes such as the church Saint-Séverin with its XIIIth century portal and beautiful collection of stained-glass windows dating from the XIXth and XXth centuries. You will unavoidably pass by this church and your curiosity will take you to the ‘Tors’ pillar just behind the choir where the ribs starting from the column form a palm grove under the vaults; if you look up before going out, you will face a magnificent organ case dating from 1745. Joris-Karl Huysman devoted part of his work to Paris and the Parisian churches. He evokes Saint-Séverin in these terms : « It’s unique. There in the very intimate small corner of its choir near this tree whose trunk turns into a spiral over itself, bursts out when it touches the vault and falls down into a rain petrified with branches; the church reveals itself as being very pacifying and very gentle ». As you are heading towards Notre-Dame, you can visit as well Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre « the oldest church in Paris » and linger on its iconostasis. Converted into an barn salt during the Revolution in 1790, it will later regain a religious function. Nowadays it is dedicated to the Catholic Melkite Greek worship.

There is one that Huysman considered as being among the most beautiful churches in Paris and we draw your attention on it : it is Saint-Etienne-du-Mont. All you have to do is walk up rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève until you reach the small place named after the church. On August 2nd 1610, three months after the death of Henri IV, his first spouse Marguerite de Valois laid the first stone of this building that was rebuilt from top to bottom in the XVIth century and that beautifully represents the French art of Renaissance.

This is where lies the reliquary containing the relics of Sainte Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris who organized the resistance against the Huns in the Vth century. There too you find the tombs of Blaise Pascal and Jean Racine; and there too the mass attended by Eugène de Rastignac during the funeral of le Père Goriot (Balzac) was given. Saint-Etienne-du-Mont is the only monument in Paris to have a ‘jubé’ – a sort of gallery that separates the nave from the choir – and that is worth a visit of its own with its sculptures signed Pierre Briat who was asked by Marie de Médicis to make the two statues representing allegorical figures for the Medicis fountain in the garden of Luxembourg.

Let’s point out that in place of the present Pantheon the church Sainte-Geneviève was built between 1758 and 1790; it is the work of the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot who drew his inspiration from the Pantheon in Rome at least for the front and the dome. The project will undergo transformations as soon as 1780, the year Soufflot died. Revisited by the spirit of the Revolution in 1791 the monument shows on its front wall « To the Great Men, the grateful homeland ». This epitaph will be suppressed then restored according to the movements of History and governments which assign to the building either a religious or a secular function. It’s only in 1885 that the church Sainte-Geneviève will definetly become the temple dedicated to its Great Men by the Republic. That year on May 22nd on the occasion of the national funeral two million people, from the Arch of Triumph to the Pantheon, followed the coffin of Victor Hugo on its way to rest alongside those of Mirabeau, Voltaire and Rousseau..

After Notre-Dame, the church Saint-Sulpice is the largest church of Paris churches, and one of the most visited since the ‘Da Vinci Code’ made it a relic of a pagan temple from the Ancient world dedicated to the goddess Isis, bringing an extra two hundred thousand visitors yearly. It is one of the most beautiful churches and you will be dazzled by the wealth of its furniture. It appears in several works of literature : in « Splendor and Misery of the Courtesans », a famous novel by Balzac. He was an inhabitant of the district Saint-Germain where many a character of « The Human Comedy » evolve.You won’t miss the frescoes of Delacroix and more particularly the one of « The fight between Jacob and the Angel » that inspired, among other writers, Anatole France for his novel « The revolt of the Angels ». The organ of the church, classified historical monument, is the biggest monument signed by Cavaillé-Coll. This is the name of a dynasty of organ builders whose name is engraved on hundred of organs in France and abroad; namely on several Paris buildings, and not the least of them : the Pantheon, Notre-Dame, La Madeleine, the church Saint-Roch. At the request of Rossini for whom he will create a small organ for an opera, Aristide (Cavaillé-Coll) comes to Paris in 1833. He wins a competition for the construction of a big organ at the royal abbey of Saint-Denis; this will bring him fame and other orders.

For music lovers of all kinds

In a letter that he wrote to his father Mozart claimed : « To my eyes and my ears organ is the king of all instruments ». Great works from the sacred repertory have been programmed in Notre-Dame for 35 years. However organ is not restricted to masses and sacred music. As a proof the XXth organ festival organized each year by the church Saint-Eustache that this past October gave us a chance to discover again « the Symphonic Dances » from Rachmaninov or the ritual dance of fire in « Wicked Love » composed by Manuel de Falla.

Do you like Brahms? Bach? Mozart? Or Vivaldi? You will easily find a concert where artists of great talent perform. You must know that la Madeleine or la Sainte-Chapelle are not the only ones to offer programs which delight music lovers of all kinds.

In this neighborhood, Saint-Séverin and Saint-Julien-Le-pauvre take up the space to advertise their musical evenings. And a stone’s throw from the Hotel Saint-Jacques, there is the small church Saint-Ephrem (heated in winter). Thanks to its remarkable acoustics you will be able to appreciate recitals given by artists who all come from the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Paris.

Do not hesitate to consult the website : www.ampconcerts.com. It lists all those concerts and allows you advance booking at very reasonable prices (20 to 30 euro). Last if classical music isn’t your cup of tea, you may find what you’re looking for on www.infoconcert.com.

For an example, the Gospel Dream Ensemble performed throughout this year 2010 at ‘the artists parish’ in the church Saint-Roch, rue Saint-Honoré. It is still possible to attend one of their concerts in January 2011 at La Madeleine or at the church Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It is not rare to have Jazz as a guest for some exceptional musical moments. Following her success when she was last in Paris Liz Mc Comb was booked up again for her three concerts last December, still at the church Saint-Sulpice. The same for Rhoda Scott who very recently performed at the ‘Sunset’. It is one of the top spots in Paris for jazz. She accompanied the trombonist Sarah Morrow and the singer Jo Ann Pickens for an exceptional concert at the American church on December 20th.

Two days later the church Saint-Eustache invited us to a journey into the heart of digital, a true fairy tale during which were adapted in pixels the improvisations of a young jazzman Yaron Herman, a virtuoso pianist known to a larger audience thanks to his cover versions of pop hits from Britney Spears and Police.

And in March 2011 nearby the Centre Pompidou electronic music will be again in favor with the Ensemble Multilatérale at the church Saint-Merri that offers a ‘trash concert’. All you have to do is make your own choice..

(1) Consult www.messesinfo.catholique.fr for mass times

(2) In « La Bièvre et Saint-Séverin » – Ed. P.V. Stock – Paris, 1898

(3) From Greek : pan « all » – theos : « god »

(4) Concerts every sunday and on bank holiday (except on sundays in lent) at 4 P.M. : www.musique-sacree-notredamedeparis.fr

There might be a place you didn’t think of and that will delight you : open to eveyone, it is the market.Its colors, its smells, its taste will appeal to the senses. A show where fruit, vegetable, meat or fishes, cheese and breads are displayed with care on the stalls to catch your attention. Where the sellers spare neither their voice nor your ear to draw your attention.

Products coming from all over France and sometimes more exotic countries…To the Parisians, the market has become a digression from the stressing life of the big city. It’s a breath of fresh air. No matter sun or rain, he will go because the market is an animated and friendly place . One goes there as much for socializing with the sellers who give lots of advices as for the guarantee freshness of the food.

it was not always like this according to Louis-Sebastien Mercier who in his ‘Tableau de Paris’ didn’t really advertise for the markets by writing « the markets in Paris are filthy; it is a chaotic place where all the foodstuffs are higgledy-piggledy crammed; a few shelters don’t put the supplies of the citizens away from seasonal bad weather. When it rains, the water drips down the roof into the basket where the eggs, fruit, butter and so on are.

The fish sellers of paris sell fish only when it is going to stale.Only the Parisian can eat nasty smelling food. Today in order to have a stall in the market, one must strictly respect European norms.

Nowadays, very few markets don’t have an organic stall. If you are an enthusiast, you will walk until boulevard Raspail in the 6th district. Between the streets ‘rue du Cherche- Midi and rue de Rennes is the first organic market that opened already twenty years ago. You might run there into some star filling their basket or savour an old-style hot chocolate, or sip a mint tea at the refreshment area.

Nowadays, there are no district that does not have its market. Paris has 82 food markets, 13 of them are covered markets (open all day from tuesday to saturday plus on sunday morning). Each one has its character and its speciality. You will find the picturesque granted by some film directors such as Billy Wilder in his comedy ‘Irma la douce’, showing what was the biggest Parisian market : the famous ‘marché des Halles’, relocated in Rungis since 1969…Or more recently, Carot and Jeunet in ‘Amelie’ (le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain). You won’t regret your visit.

In the 5th district, at a stone’s throw from the hotel Saint Jacques and the Residence Henri IV, two markets can’t miss to whet your appetite…

The market Maubert-Mutualité which is the oldest Paris market, once named the market Palud dating from the 5th century : the market was located in the heart of Lutèce near the Pont -Neuf on the Ile de la Cité.

The market of Place Monge is in the shade of chestnut trees that surround a lovely fountain and which, according to some people, would be the most ‘ provincial’ of the Parisian markets what doesn’t prevent it from offering a variety of exotic foodstuffs that might surprise you…

And even a third one, if you are ready to walk five more minutes :

The market Mouffetard, named after the area and the street Mouffetard. A district that the writer Georges Duhamel praised and that offers many other interests (bars, restaurants..). In fine weather, you will even be able to enjoy a free massage in the street which will allow you to continue touring the hectic city life.

To stay in the neighborhood, we draw your attention on another market specializing in plants ‘le marché aux fleurs de l’île de la Cité’. An enchanting display of colors in a group of pavilions dating from ‘La Belle Epoque’ (1900).

However not only food has its place in a market, and if’les Puces’ (antiques, second-hand clothes) remains the best known of specialized markets, you should know there are also artists markets, old books, old stamps and postcards ones, birds, textile….

Marché Maubert : open on tuesday, thursday and saturday from 7.00 AM until 2.00 PM.

Marché Monge : open on wednesday, friday and sunday from 7.00 AM until 2.00 PM.

To know more :

« Les plus beaux marchés de Paris » from Bénédicte Bonnet – photos from Alexandre Mouaci.

A Thanks to L’Internaute Magazine for Agathe Azzis’ picture.

The Jardin du Luxembourg is the largest public park  located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. The park is the garden of the French Senate, which is itself housed in the Luxembourg Palace.  It was created at the initiative of Queen Marie de Medicis, nostalgic for his native Florence, and inspired by the Boboli Gardens.

It’s a French Garden, where you will find many flowers, an orchard, a large octagonal pool where children love to float small boats, the refreshing Medicis fountain, and many outdoor sculptures.

A small fitness ? The Jardin du Luxembourg holds small sport meetings for free.
Welcome at the statue Blanche de Castille, at the entrance to the street Guynemer. Session from 9am to noon.

It is forbidden to walk on lawns, to bike or play ball. The playgrounds (all pay, are gathered in the shade of the trees between the French garden and the street Guyenemer).

Open hour between 7.15 am and 8.15 am
Closing hour between 2.45 pm and 9.30 pm
it depends on the season.

Week Days :

Monday | Tuesday | Wesneday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Open during these bank holidays :

January 1 | Easter | Easter Monday | May 1 | May 8 | Ascension | Pentecost | Pentecost Monday | July 14 | August 15 | November 1 | November 11 | December 25.

Services : Foreign language tour.

Educational Activities :

Nursery (2.00 pm to 6.00 pm) from May to mid-September, from 18 months to 6 years old. Playground (from 10.00 am) for children 7 to 12 years. Guignol on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 2.00 pm.
During the holidays, every day from 4.00 pm : Pony rides, swings, tennis, small boats for rent to sail in the great pool.

« Hotel Saint Jacques, 3 star hotel in the Latin Quarter district in Paris »

The Hotel Saint Jacques in Paris recommends you the visit the Pantheon , the masterpiece of the architect Soufflot, on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in Paris. Discover the famous people buried in the crypt who marked the history and identity of France. Enjoy extensive views over Paris from the external colonnade of the dome.

Open

Closed
On January 1, May 1 and December 25

Rates

Adult rate : 8 €
Reduced rate : 5 €
Adult group rate : 6 € (minimum 20 persons)
School group rate : 30 € (maximum 35 persons)

Free admission :
Minors under 18 (family visit)
18-25 years old (for people under 26 years old who are citizens of one the 27 countries of EU or are non-European permanent residents of France)
Disabled visitors and their escorts
Unemployed persons

How to get there

Panthéon

Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris
Phone +33 (0)1 44 32 18 00 ou 33 / +33 (0)1 44 32 18 01
Fax +33 (0)1 44 07 32 23

For further information on the Pantheon …

« Hotel Saint Jacques, 3 star hotel in the Latin Quarter district in Paris »

Notre Dame de Paris (French for Our Lady of Paris), also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris.

It was restored and saved from destruction by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, a famous French architect. The name Notre Dame means « Our Lady » in French, and is frequently used in the names of Catholic church buildings in Francophone countries. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period.

Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports).

The cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution  in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. During the 19th century, an extensive restoration project was completed, returning the cathedral to its previous state.

More than ever a symbol of Paris established in our time, and far from being a museum, the cathedral is, from its origins, the house of God and House of Men …

For more information about Cathedral Notre Dame…

« Hotel Saint Jacques, 3 star hotel in the Latin Quarter district in Paris »