Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Paris

Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Paris is the true heart of Paris; in fact, distances from Paris to all parts of metropolitan France are measured from place du Parvis Notre Dame, the square in front of Notre Dame. A bronze star, set in the pavement across from the main entrance, marks the exact location of point zéro des routes de France (point zero of French roads).

Notre Dame, the most visited site in Paris, with 10 million people crossing its threshold each year, is not just a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture but has also been the focus of Catholic Paris for seven centuries. Constructed on a site occupied by earlier churches – and, a millennium before that, a Gallo-Roman temple – it was begun in 1163 and largely completed by the mid-14th century. Architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc carried out extensive renovations in the mid-19th century. The cathedral is on a very grand scale; the interior alone is 130m long, 48m wide and 35m high and can accommodate more than 6000 worshippers.

Notre Dame is known for its sublime balance, although if you look closely you’ll see many minor asymmetrical elements introduced to avoid monotony, in accordance with standard Gothic practice. These include the slightly different shapes of each of the three main portals, whose statues were once brightly coloured to make them more effective as a Biblia pauperum – a ‘Bible of the poor’ to help the illiterate understand the Old Testament stories, the Passion of the Christ and the lives of the saints. One of the best views of Notre Dame is from square Jean XXIII, the lovely little park behind the cathedral, where you can see the mass of ornate flying buttresses that encircle the chancel and support its walls and roof.

Inside, exceptional features include three spectacular rose windows, the most renowned of which is the 10m-wide one over the western facade above the 7800-pipe organ, and the window on the northern side of the transept, which has remained virtually unchanged since the 13th century. The central choir, with its carved wooden stalls and statues representing the Passion of the Christ, is also noteworthy. There are free 1½-hour guided tours of the cathedral in English at noon on Wednesday, at 2pm on Thursday and at 2.30pm on Saturday.

The trésor(treasury; adult/child €3/1;h9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-6.30pm Sat, 1.30-6.30pm Sun), in the southeastern transept, contains artwork, liturgical objects, church plate and first-class relics – some of them of questionable origin. Among these is the Ste-Couronne, the ‘Holy Crown’ – purportedly the wreath of thorns placed on Jesus’ head before he was crucified – which was brought here in the mid-13th century. It is exhibited between 3pm and 4pm on the first Friday of each month, 3pm to 4pm every Friday during Lent and 10am to 5pm on Good Friday.

The entrance to the Tours de Notre Dame which can be climbed, is from the North Tower, to the right and around the corner as you walk out of the cathedral’s main doorway. The 422 spiralling steps bring you to the top of the west facade, where you’ll find yourself face to face with many of the cathedral’s most frightening gargoyles, the 13-tonne bell Emmanuel (all the cathedral’s bells are named) in the South Tower, and an absolutely spectacular view over the city.