A short history of Notre-Dame
Eight and a half centuries in one elegant timeline — from the first stone to the reopening.
Few buildings carry as much of a city’s memory as Notre-Dame carries for Paris. The cathedral has been a construction site, a coronation hall, a revolutionary storehouse, a literary heroine, and a phoenix — often within the same century.
The timeline below keeps to well-established dates. For the full story, told calmly as you walk, the History Lover companion narrates each chapter in twelve short episodes.
Timeline
- 1163
Construction begins under Bishop Maurice de Sully, on ground that had carried earlier churches for centuries.
- c. 1260
The main structure is largely complete — nave, choir, façade, and the great rose windows of the transept.
- 1345
The cathedral is traditionally considered finished after nearly two centuries of work.
- 1789–1790s
The Revolution strips the cathedral; the Gallery of Kings is pulled down, its heads lost for nearly two centuries.
- 1804
Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor in the cathedral.
- 1831
Victor Hugo publishes “Notre-Dame de Paris”, igniting public affection for the neglected building.
- 1844–1864
The great restoration by Viollet-le-Duc and Lassus adds the spire and the famous chimeras.
- 1977
Heads from the original Gallery of Kings are rediscovered, buried in a Paris courtyard.
- 1991
The banks of the Seine, including Notre-Dame, are inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage.
- 15 April 2019
Fire destroys the roof and spire; the stone vaults largely hold, and the towers are saved.
- December 2024
After five years of meticulous restoration, the cathedral reopens to visitors and worship.