subject: Historical Wealth Of The Louvre And The Cathedral Notre Dame [print this page] Paris, France is home to some of the world's most prestigious historical monuments. The two most well-known sites are the Louvre and the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
The Louvre was first built in the late 12th century by King Philip II. Originally, the structure was to be used as a fortress.
Later in 1672 AD, Louis XIV decided to live in the Palace of Versaille instead of the traditional fortress home. He left behind the royal sculptures to be exhibited in the Louvre.
However, the Louvre was not officially transformed into a museum until the French Revolution. By August 10, 1793 the Palais de Louvre hosted a modest exhibition of 537 paintings that had been confiscated church and royal property.
Three years later, in 1796 AD, the museum had to be closed due to structural problems. After extensive remodeling, the museum reopened in 1801 AD.
Soon after, Napoleon increased the size of the Louvre and renamed it the Musee Napoleon. Thereafter Louis XVIII and Charles X continued to enlarge the collection.
By the end of the 2nd French Empire the museum featured a collection of over 20,000 pieces of art and historical artifacts.
The growth of the museum continued throughout the Third Republic because of donations and gifts. The only stagnation of this growth was during World War I and World War II.
In 2008, the Museum de Louvre featured eight main departments. These departments are Egyptian Antiquities, Near Eastern Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, Paintings, Prints and Drawings, and Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities.
Today it is one of the largest and most visited museums in the world. It is considered to be one of the greatest historical monuments.
It now is home to 35,000 showcased pieces of art from prehistory to the 19th century. Today the building has been expanded to over 652,300 square feet.
Few remnants of the original fortress are left. A short walk from the Louvre is the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame.
The name Notre Dame de Paris means Our Lady of Pairs in French. This historical monument is famous for its gothic, roman architecture featuring sculptures and stained glass windows.
The windows are noted to have an influence from naturalism that is not seen in older Romaneque architecture.
The architecture is also unique because it was one of the first buildings to incorporate flying buttresses and arched exterior supports into the design.
In 1160 AD, the church of Paris was the church that the European kings attended. It was decided that the old church was not fancy enough to fulfill this role properly, and the construction of the Notre Dame cathedral began.
Construction officially began in 1163 AD. Whether Bishop Maurice de Sully or Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone is unknown, but they were both present at the ceremony.
Enough of the interior of Notre Dame was completed by the consecration in 1182 AD for Notre Dame to perform as a church, but the interior was not completely finished until the 1240s. The entire structure was not completed until 1345 AD.
This building also had to be restored in the 19th century due to the desecration that occurred in the 1790s during the French Revolution. The majority of the religious imagery was destroyed during the revolution.
The task of restoration fell to France's most famous architect, Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. Viollet-le-Duc had a history of restoring other medieval castles, town halls, and churches very well. He continued his legacy with the restoration of Notre Dame.
The five bells are still maintained at the cathedral. Four of the bells are located in the North Towers and are rung for celebrations and church services.
The largest bell in the South Tower, Emmanuel, is still rung hourly for the enjoyment of the people in the square. This bell weighs over 13 tons.
Today, Notre Dame is enjoyed by historians and tourists alike.
