Tag Archives: Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral: taking it to the top

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by in Paris guide, Paris tips

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Gargoyles of Notre Dame

The best views of Paris can be seen from the Eiffel Tower, Pantheon, Tour Montparnasse, Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe and least visited because of space limitations, Notre Dame towers. Get there at 10 and you’ll have no trouble winding your way up the 387 claustraphobic stairs to hobnob with the gargoyles and see the historic bell. It costs 8.50 euros but if you have a Paris Pass there’s no charge (this doesn’t mean you can cut into the front of line).

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Getting there early means better air clarity and no one in the way when you Instagram your Selfie. Warding off evil since 1362, these grotesque monsters are now becoming 21st century instant celebs.

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This is one of the highlights on your first walk in the No Worries Paris guidebook. Consult for more interesting sights in the vicinity.

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Paris holiday concerts: ’tis the season

20 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by in Paris Wanderings

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Fifteen good reasons to spend the holidays in Paris: church concerts. Tickets: http://www.classictic.com/en/

Christmas Concerts at La Sainte Chapelle
Fri, December 21 2012 18:00
Fri, Dec 21 2012, 20:00
Sat, Dec 22 2012, 18:00

Christmas Concert at St. Germain des Près
Fri, December 21 2012 20:30

La Madeleine: Christmas Concert
Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”
Sat, December 22 2012 20:30
Wed, Dec 26 2012, 20:30
Fri, Dec 28 2012, 20:00

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St. Ephrem Church: Concerts
Sun, December 23 2012 15:30
Mon, Dec 24 2012, 21:30
Tue, Dec 25 2012, 18:00 – Chopin, Liszt, and Mozart
Sat, Dec 29 2012, 19:00 – Bach Suites for Violoncello Solo
Mon, Dec 31 2012, 17:00 – Bach Suites for Violoncello Solo

Gospel Christmas Concert at Eglise des Billettes
Tue, December 25 2012 18:00

Eglise de la Madeleine
Vivaldi, Schubert, Albinoni: Eglise de La Madeleine
Thu, December 27 2012 20:30

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Puer Natus Est: Christmas Concert in Notre-Dame de Paris
This performance of Medieval music evokes Christmas night.
Fri, December 28 2012 20:30

Sainte Chapelle: The Four Seasons
Sat, December 29 2012 18:00
Sun, Dec 30 2012, 20:00

Concerts at La Madeleine Church: Mozart Requiem
The Amadeus Choir and Jean Louis Petit Orchestra perform Mozart’s final composition, the Requiem.
Sat, December 29 2012 21:00
Sat, Jan 12 2013, 21:00
Sat, Feb 09 2013, 21:00

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Holiday Concert: St. Eustache Church
Celebrate with Vivaldi’s beloved “Four Seasons”
Mon, December 31 2012 20:30

New Year’s Eve Concert at Saint Severin Church
Mon, December 31 2012 20:30

New Year’s Eve Concert : Eglise de la Madeleine
Händel’s Messiah
Mon, December 31 2012 20:30

Paris | Eglise Sainte Sulpice
Mozart Requiem: New Year’s Eve
Mon, December 31 2012 20:45

Eglise Saint-Eustache
Trumpet & Organ: New Year’s Concert
Tue, January 01 2013 16:00

Eglise St. Germain des Prés
Vivaldi, Schubert, Albinoni: Eglise St. Germain-des-Prés
Tue, January 01 2013 16:00

Paris “A” List: Notre Dame

13 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by in Paris Wanderings

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Napoleon had plans to demolish Norte Dame cathedral shortly after 1804 when he took the royal crown from the hands of Pope Pius VII and crowned himself emperor in the shadow of the great church. The general felt the ediface a monstrosity, built over six centuries at the hands of numerous architects. But author Victor Hugo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) later proclaimed the church a “symphony of stone” and his sentiments won the day. Numerous touches have been added in the nearly two centuries since Hugo’s days, mainly under the direction of 19C genius Eugene Violet le Duc, including the 300-foot-high steeple and the three portals of the entrance (west) facade.

With myriad integrated details inside and out, Notre Dame indeed contains the notes and overall bombast of a great musical work. Entrance to the cathedral is free, although a fee is charged to climb the 230-foot north tower to the belfry and walk among the gargoyles. In the parvis (plaza) in front is Point Zero, a bronze star imbedded in flagstone, from which all distances in France are measured. The site of Notre Dame on Ile de la Cite was also the location for the stronghold of the Parisii, the tribe of boatmen dating from around 300 BC, who were displaced by Julius Caesar and the Romans in 54 BC. In recent years, remnants from the Roman’s 3C city of Lutetia (as they called Paris) were discovered 200 feet below ground in the parvis. The parking lot has become a museum, Crypte Archelologique, just one of the bonus attractions that surround the cathedral. See page 38 of No Worries Paris for more photos and info.