On the spot Notre Dame de Paris now stands, there was first a temple to Jupiter, then a Christian basilica and then the Cathedral of St. Etienne.
It was the bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, who decided that a new cathedral should be built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Construction on Notre Dame began in 1163. It took nearly 200 years to complete, as it is believed to have officially opened in 1345.
Notre Dame took so long to finish because some of the Early Gothic style was changed to High Gothic in the middle of the 13th century, which changed the openings and the triforium.
During the French revolution, Notre Dame cathedral was damaged and many of its treasures and statues were stolen. Some were found in the 1970s, nearly 200 years later.
It was in Notre Dame that Napoléon crowned himself emperor and his wife Josephine empress in 1804.
