Notre Dame

A little bit o' history about Notre Dame de Paris:

The Notre Dame de Paris stands on the site of Paris' first Christian church, "Saint-Etiennen Basilica", which was built on the site of a Gallo-Roman temple to Jupiter.

In 1160, Saint-Etiennen Basilica became the "parish church of the kings of Europe" and Bishop Maurice de Sully deemed the current Parisian cathedral unworthy of its lofty role. He 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.

Bishop de Sully went on to devote most of his life and wealth to the cathedral's construction.

On Dec. 2nd, 1804 Napoleon crowned himself Emperor here. There are claims that he seized the crown out of the hands of the Pope during the ceremony in order to avoid subjecting himself to the authority of the pontiff. (this moment is depicted in Jacques-Louis David's famous painting.)

During the early 19th century the cathedral was in a state of disrepair, and city planners began to contemplate tearing it down. French novelist Vicor Hugo, who loved the cathedral, wrote his novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in part to raise awareness of the cathedral's heritage. The book sparked renewed interest in the cathedral's fate and a campaign to collect funds to save the cathedral followed, culminating in its restoration in 1845.

Whew! Interesting, non? ...no?