Love 🇫🇷 France

The real genius of Notre-Dame de Paris lies in how its builders solved the problem of supporting an enormous stone structure while creating a remarkably open and light-filled interior. Construction began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and continued for nearly two centuries, with major completion around 1345. Its engineering is fascinating. Pointed arches and ribbed vaults channel the weight of the masonry towards supporting piers, while flying buttresses counter the outward thrust of the high vaults. This allowed builders to raise taller walls and introduce large stained-glass windows. The cathedral was constructed primarily from Lutetian limestone quarried around Paris. Its medieval oak roof framework was famously called The Forest because of the enormous number of individual timber beams. Another interesting detail: the 96-metre spire was not part of the original medieval design. It was created by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc during the 19th-century restoration and completed in 1860. The 2019 fire destroyed the roof and spire, but the cathedral's remarkable stone structure survived. After an extraordinary restoration, Notre-Dame reopened on 8 December 2024. What makes this building extraordinary is that its beauty is inseparable from its engineering. Every arch, rib and buttress has a story to tell.