NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS

Notre-Dame Cathedral aka “Our lady of Paris”,  is a medieval Catholic cathedral located in the heart of Paris.  The cathedral is one of the most recognized church buildings in the world and also considered to be one of the best examples of French Gothic Architecture.  An average of more than 30,000 people visit the Cathedral on any given day. 

Notre-Dame Cathedral

The cathedral features a narrow climb of 387 steps at the top of several spiral staircases.

Inside steps

Along the climb you can view Emmanuel, its largest and most famous bell 

Emmanuel F#2, largest bell at Notre-Dame

Having performed professionally on a 3.5 octave set of Mallmark handbells, the bells of Notre-Dame were of particular interest to me.  

In addition to the bell Emmanual, Notre-Dame houses 9 other bells. Interestingly enough they have names.  The largest bell, named Emmanuel, has an origin back to 1681 and is located in the south tower, weighing in at just over 13 tons and is tolled to mark the hours of the day and for various occasions and services. This bell is always rung first, at least 5 seconds before the rest.  

If you find yourself fortunate enough to be at Nortre-Dame Cathedral at noon you will be able to hear the bells ringing.  It was a wonderful experience.     

Listening to the noon bells at Notre-Dame Cathedral

BELLS OF NOTRE-DAME

NAME	MASS	DIAMETER	NOTE
Emmanuel	13271 kg	261 cm	F#2
Marie	6023 kg	206.5 cm	G#2
Gabriel	4162 kg	182.8 cm	A#2
Anne Genevieve	3477 kg	172.5 cm	B2
Denis	2502 kg	153.6 cm	C#3
Marcel	1925 kg	139.3 cm	D#3
Etienne	1492 kg	1267 cm	E#3
Benoit-Joseph	1309 kg	120.7 cm	F#3
Maurice	1011 kg	109.7 cm	G#3
Jean-Marie	782 kg	99.7 cm	A#3

 

 In addition to the bells and the views, you can also see the gargoyles, 

Gargoyles

View from the Tower of Notre Dam

The Big organ of Notre-Dame consists of 5-56 key manuals, a 32-key pedalboard, 110 real stops, 111 records and 7,952 pipes.

Big Organ of Notre Dame

The Choir organ has two keyboards and a pedalboard, 30 games and 1840 pipes. 

Choir Organ

Under a 1905 law, Notre-Dame de Paris is among seventy churches in Paris built before 1905 that are owned by the French state. While the building itself is owned by the state, the Catholic Church is the designated beneficiary, having the exclusive right to use it for religious purpose in perpetuity. The archdiocese is responsible for paying the employees, security, heating and cleaning, and assuring that the cathedral is open to visitors FREE of charge. The archdiocese does not receive subsidies from the French state.