Timeless Significance of Our Lady of Paris

Introduction to our Lady of Paris

Our Lady of Paris in English is the name of the French name Notre Dame de Paris given to the Cathedral of Paris. A Cathedral is the main or principal church in a catholic diocese or archdiocese. The Cathedral is associated with the bishop of the said diocese; it could be called the headquarter of the church in that given diocese. Therefore, Our Lady of Paris is the name of the Cathedral of Paris.

It is a catholic tradition that a church is named after a certain saint. The chosen saint becomes the patron or patroness of the members of the said church of that parish, if it is a parish church or diocese, in the case of a diocese. Therefore, Mary is the official intercessor of the catholic church of Paris and the Parisians.

Explore the History of Our Lady of Paris

The history of Our Lady of Paris is an interesting story that spans now for over eight centuries. The church is located on the Ile de la Cite in Paris representing the finest of the French Gothic architecture in the world. Thus in the search for notre dame meaning and notre dame significance we explore the history of this beautiful and magnificent Cathedral.

Construction of Notre Dame de Paris

The construction of Notre Dame de Paris started in 1163 by the order of the bishop of Paris then Maurice de Sully and by then France was under the reign of King Louis VII. The construction continued for years however, by 1260 the bigger part of the church was completed but the year of completion is taken by some historians as 1345. Upon its completion Notre Dame became the symbol of the power and wealth of the Catholic church in the medieval France.

Onement of Notre Dame de Paris

One of the fascinating features of Notre Dame Cathedral is its complex façade which is adorned with statues and extraordinary carvings that narrate stories and events from the Holy Bible. The Cathedral is also decorated by  a beautiful rose window, which is simply regarded as a master piece of the medieval stained glass art work. The inside of the Notre Dame has beautiful walk ways, ambulant, a nave which are decorated by lovely sculptures and artwork of the medieval period.

Historical Events at Notre-Dame de Paris

La Notre Dame de Paris has over eight centuries witnessed a number of events both small and big including ordinations of bishops and priests, coronations, weddings and funerals of French royalty. All these events took place in Notre Dame as the Cathedral of Paris.

Grand Events

Some notable events that took place in Our Lady of Paris include the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte who was crowned emperor at Notre Dame de Paris by Pope Pius VII on December 2nd 1804. The weddings of the noble are countless, but two notable worth mentioning are those of Francois II in 1558 and Henri IV in 1572.

More Events in Notre Dame de Paris

It has been established already that the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris has great importance to Paris and France as a whole. Here are further events demonstrating that fact. To mark the the beginning of the construction of Notre Dame Pope Alexander III and King Louis II laid the first stone on 24th August 1163. On August 25th in 1944 when Paris was liberated at the end of the second World war the bells of Notre Dame were rung to mark the liberation of the city.

Moreover, in 1239 the relics of the Passion of Christ were received in the Cathedral; the relics were brought by saint Louis who had gone to the Holy land. In 1789, the Cathedral was made secular becoming a state property and in 1793 the Cathedral was made a “Temple of Reason”. However, following different reasons in 1801, the Cathedral was restored to the Catholic Church. Being of extra ordinary gothic beauty, constructed by human brains, and having such a rich history, it was announced by the United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1991 to be a World Heritage site.

Why is Our Lady of Paris Significant to France?

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris is significant to France because of the great history that the church carries. During the medieval period it was the symbol of wealth and power to Paris and also to the whole of France.  Notre Dame, as we have seen housed all kinds of historical events from spiritual events, cultural ones to state events.

On the spiritual sphere bishops and priests have been ordained in the cathedral, on state historical events kings have been coronated, wedded and even their funeral masses were said in the Cathedral. Popes have been to the Church for different occasions. The United Nations through UNESCO recognizes its importance to the human race and thus naming it a World Heritage site.

Economic benefits to the local population

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris is an important economic feature to the economy of both Paris and France. The Cathedral attract both pilgrims and tourists to the church; all these visitors pay some form of fees. The tourists pay the entrance fees to be able to explore the Cathedral and learn from this giant of over eight hundred years old.

Moreover, the Cathedral helps in job creation in the whole chain of travel and tourism industries. In the tourism industry, there are opportunities in guiding tourists, there are opportunities in the local businesses such as shops for souvenirs, art works and many others in the same industry. Through the many economic activities taking place at Notre Dame de Paris there is significant contribution in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the country’s economy.

Conclusion on our lady of Paris

The article has depicted lots of fact about Our Lady of Paris which is an exceptionally beautiful Church of its own kind. We have seen that the Cathedral carries a rich history and has survived eight centuries of glory and bitter moments but all that time it managed to preserve great wealth of lessons to human kind.

To conclude, we should say the doors of Notre Dame de Paris are open to all visitors who wish to visit the Cathedral. One may visit as a pilgrim for Catholics and Christians who need a pilgrimage site for spiritual renewal, others may go as tourists as it is also open to curious minds that need to learn from that man made miracle of the Cathedral.

Frequently Asked Questions on Our Lady of Paris

The subject of Our Lady of Paris is an interesting historical, religious and architectural one. It attracts numerous readers who are interested in learning about many issues concerning this extraordinary Cathedral. There are a number of questions that readers ask, here are some of those:

1. Is the virgin of Paris statue notre-dame visible to all?
2. When did the Notre Dame Paris fire break?
3. What is the notre-dame cathedral history?
4. Why was the Notre Dame Cathedral built?
5. Where do we get the Notre Dame Paris tickets?
6. What does Notre Dame meaning?
7. Is Notre Dame open?
8. When is the Notre Dame Paris reopening?
9. Is Mother Mary of Paris for us all?
10. The virgin Mary of Paris?
11. Is the Cathedral of Our Lady in Paris same as Notre Dame?
12. What is the meaning of Our Lady for Parisians?
13. Does the Lady for Parisians pray for us all?