Kathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Walking along the Rive Gauche the left bank of the Seine near Notre- Dame you simultaneously enter one of the most beautiful neighborhoods It features among other things the largest open-air bookstore in the world In fact along both shores of the lake there are 235 small bookstalls known as bouquinistes as they have been for centuries The Cathedral of Notre-Dame was built on the Île de la Cité which was already considered sacred ground during Roman times It is generally regarded as a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture with its breathtaking architectural elements and details To fully appreciate the view of Notre-Dame one should approach it from the park behind the cathedral So one gets an impressive view of the building's structure and the beautiful flying buttresses e one that made the huge roof structure possible The façade of the cathedral is an impressive yet simple and harmoniously designed architectural element Its strong and sober size is based on the interplay between vertical and horizontal lines Powerful arches that reach up to the spires of the towers and shoot straight up into the sky and a symbol of that is that the church was built in honor of God Two wide horizontal stripes seem to want to bring the building back down to earth The timeless simplicity and harmony of this façade have fascinated art historians and architects throughout many centuries Notre-Dame is the most popular monument in Paris and all of France Every year 13 million visitors come to see and admire the church It even surpasses the Eiffel Tower However Notre-Dame is also a place of Catholic faith and a pilgrimage site for French Catholics A place where the most important religious events are celebrated