The Cathedral of Notre Dame is a Paris Must-See!

Notre Dame is built upon the small island of Ile de la Cite, which is located in the Seine River. After crossing the oldest bridge in Paris to the island, ironically named Pont Neuf, meaning new bridge, stroll around the island for a bit. You're standing upon ground that was home to the very first Parisians - a Celtric tribe named the Parisii who occupied the Ile de la Cite around 52 BC.

This oldest area of Paris has long been used religiously. When Romans still worshiped Jupiter as king of gods, a temple existed on this site in his name. As Paris became a Christian society, the first grand cathedral, named Saint-Etienne Basilica, was built to replace the ancient Roman temple by Childebert I, the King of the Franks, in 528. After this church was deemed the "parish church of the Kings of Europe", Bishop Maurice de Sully determined that it was necessary to erect a grand new structure to replace the aging Saint-Etienne. Pope Alexander III officially commissioned the construction of this gothic cathedral in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII, but construction was to span three generations of craftsmen before the Notre Dame was officially completed in 1345.

Easily one of the best known tourist attractions in Paris, Notre Dame is also still in use as a Roman Catholic cathedral. Among the earliest of significant events to take place in this location was the call for the Third Crusade to recapture the Holy Land. Through its centuries of existence, Notre Dame has also been used as a community hall, for banquets, and to stage amateur theatrical productions. During the French Revolution, after much of the grand treasures were looted or destroyed, Notre Dame was even used as a warehouse for food storage! The setting for weddings, funerals and other high ceremonies, Notre Dame hosted the wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots to Dauphin Francois, the crowning of Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor, the beatification of Joan of Arc and the requiem mass of Charles de Galle.