Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris

Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris is in Paris, Île-de-France, France and is one of the world’s most recognized medieval cathedrals, an active Catholic church and central monument of Parisian religious and national history.. Bishop Maurice de Sully initiated the present cathedral, with the first stone laid in 1163; construction and enlargement continued into the later Middle Ages.

Louis IX brought the Crown of Thorns and other Passion relics to Paris in 1239. After the Revolution, surviving Passion relics entered Notre-Dame’s treasury in 1806. A fire on 15 April 2019 severely damaged the roof and spire; the restored cathedral reopened for worship in December 2024.

Architecturally, the site is principally Gothic. Its documented heritage context includes Major medieval cathedral and national monument; it is also recorded as Within Paris, Banks of the Seine — World Heritage Site (1991). Catholic worship at Notre-Dame includes veneration of relics identified by tradition as objects connected with the Passion of Christ.

Their religious identity is distinct from the documented history of their custody in Paris. Religious life or devotional practice associated with the site includes Mass, prayer, and cathedral liturgy.