This video produced by TV Heralds provides an evening tour of the historic Notre Dame de Paris. Notre Dame is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is where its name comes from. ("Notre-Dame " means " Our Lady " in French.) Located on the small island de la Cité, along the Seine river, the cathedral was begun in 1163 and completed in the mid-fourteenth century, which explains some of the stylistic differences in the predominantly Gothic building.
Changes continued over the centuries, and the structure faced challenges during the French Revolution, when, under the self-proclaimed "Cult of Reason," several elements were destroyed, various treasures were stolen, and the space itself was used for food storage. In 1844, a cathedral restoration began that would last twenty-three years, marred by difficult moments such as the brief rise of the Paris Commune in 1871 when the cathedral almost burned down.
And today we celebrate...