No Hunchback In Sight (Notre Dame)

Member Name: setimerenptah

Product:	Notre Dame
Date:	18/09/01 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beauty

Disadvantages: Tourists

Notre Dame must be one of the most famous churches in the world, and visiting it you can really see why. The church is situated on Ile De La Cite, in the heart of Paris on the Seine. The foundation stone was laid in 1163 beginning the long and illustrious history of this impressive Catholic church. Kings were crowned here, Joan of Arc was canonized here in 1920 and perhaps most famously of all Victor Hugo wrote about the church.

The building itself is huge and imposing, with an incredible architectural design which is both intricate and solid looking. Entry to the church is free but you must be careful what you take photos of, never wear a hat, remain fairly silent and dress decently (this means covered shoulders for women). The silence is enforced by this weird guy saying shhhh through a speaker system every few minutes. You can pay 15 francs if you want access to the church 'treasures' but I didn't bother as it didn't look too interesting (priest outfits throughout the ages etc).

The church is stunning from the outside but the inside is even more impressive. It features the biggest, most intricate stained glass windows I have ever seen, some of them really look beautiful. There are statues of various saints, especially Joan of Arc and of course Jesus and the Virgin Mary make an appearance. The atmosphere inside is solemn and there are many devout people who visit to pray or sit in silent rapture (creepy).

The size of the place is unbelievable and that familiar church architecture drags your eye heavenwards to encourage contemplation of God. The church is still functioning, I was suprised to see a priest taking confessions and a queue building up outside his glass cubicle (the modern replacement for the old wooden confessionals).

There is a large square infront of the church full of tourists. A great statue of Charlemagne with his big sword and beard ensemble sits to one side. Below ground there is the Crypt. Soun
ds interesting and potentially scary but in fact it isn't really unless you like architecture or history. Entry to this is 26 francs for those between 26 and 60 and free outside of that group.

The Crypt is in fact various models and remains of the site in different stages of history. The foundations on display date back to the Romans and there are a few snippets of history along the way, however it doesn't take long to walk around and probably isn't worth paying for. The church itself is unmissable and as it is free to wander around I would recommend it. It is always busy and you should be wary of pickpockets. It is all on one level so should be suitable for disabled visits, however the Crypt is down some steps.

Summary: