Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens Dec 8, 2024

Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens

In the heart of Paris stands one of the city"s most enduring icons: Notre-Dame Cathedral. Built between the 12th and 13th centuries on the Île de la Cité—an island in the Seine—Notre-Dame has witnessed centuries of French history, from the Hundred Years" War to the French Revolution, and beyond. Although it was chosen by Napoleon as the site of his coronation as emperor in 1804, by the early 19th century, the cathedral was in a state of disrepair. However, one novel changed its fortunes: "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. The popularity of this book helped encourage a restoration project that renewed the cathedral"s former beauty.

© Julien Fromentin/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 8, 2018How lovely are your branches
Dec 8, 2019Mod gear
Dec 8, 2020A fortress in the sky
Dec 8, 2021Petrified Forest National Park
Dec 8, 2022The Cathedral of Florence, Italy
Dec 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Dec 8, 2025Christmas lights in Domaso, Lake Como, Italy

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 13, 2019Acadia transformed
Jan 21, 2022National Hug Day
Aug 21, 2023Discovery Day in Yukon, Canada
Aug 23, 2019Harvest time in the Palouse
Dec 13, 2022Hallstatt, Austria
Jun 7, 2019Holey moley–it’s National Doughnut Day!
Mar 16, 2024National Panda Day
Apr 3, 2023National Find a Rainbow Day
May 15, 2025Palace of Westminster, London, England
Mar 26, 2021The wild heart of Tasmania
Nov 24, 2025Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh, India
Aug 8, 2022Pantaleu
Dec 25, 2022Merry Christmas!
Jun 4, 2023Waiānapanapa State Park, Maui, Hawaii
Jul 4, 2018Let’s celebrate
Mar 31, 2021Paradise, found
Feb 12, 2025Celebrating Charles Darwin
Mar 23, 2025World Meteorological Day
Jan 10, 2020League of Nations, 100 years later
Jun 19, 2022Father s Day
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico
Aug 27, 2019Remembering Krakatoa
May 6, 2022Bluebells in Hertfordshire, England
Mar 9, 2019Let the harvest begin
Jan 2, 2023Hohenzollern Castle near Stuttgart, Germany
May 3, 2025Happy International Astronomy Day!
May 27, 2025Mona Vale Rockpool, Sydney, Australia
Jul 23, 2025Vatican City with St. Peters Basilica
Jan 18, 2021A step toward freedom
Apr 20, 2021Terraced fields of green