One Day in Paris: Conciergerie and Notre Dame

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During my recent trip to France I spent several days in Paris, which this time opened to me from a totally new perspective:

Apart from visiting its main tourist attractions, like the Louvre Museum, I also took some time to explore its modern architecture:

Look inside its hidden courtyards and little streets:

and also chill out in its gorgeous parks:

as well as walk along the Seine river:

One thing which was always on my bucket list is to see Notre Dame from the inside, but long line towards the entrance was always stopping me whenever I visited Paris before. This time I was fully determined to do it and even continuous rain didn’t stop me. In fact, I think this cathedral is the most beautiful and enigmatic in autumn, when grey cloudy sky highlights gothic architecture with its dramatic and a bit ominous effect:

Gothic architecture is lavishly ornamented, and usually, each feature or element has a symbolic meaning. The wooden doors of the main entrance are decorated with intricate floral ornaments and mythical creations:

Some legends tell about the devil’s participation in the construction of Notre Dame. The blacksmith Biscorne was hired to forge the most beautiful gate for the cathedral. Unable to complete the order, he called for the help of the devil. In the morning, when the servants of Notre Dame came to see his sketches, they found the gate of the most intricate beauty while the blacksmith was lying unconscious on the floor. The gates were installed, but it turned out that it was impossible to open the locks! They only were able to open after being sprinkled with holy water.

Apart from visiting the interiors of Notre Dame, you can also go up its towers and enjoy incredible views of Paris. The gorgeous park around the cathedral is another beautiful attraction.

The exteriors of the cathedral has numerous sculptures of various fabulous creatures, like for example, chimera – a mythical hybrid animal which has the body of a lion and the head of a goat, and the Strix – a creature resembling an owl or bat, which was said to eat human flesh. The gargoyles were added to the cathedral later and they had a practical purpose – to serve as the rain spouts and protect the walls and windows so that the water will not destroy the mortar with time.

These bizarre and creepy creatures have caused creations of numerous legends and myths about the secret meaning of these symbols. Esotericists believe that the code of occult teachings is encrypted here. In the 17th century, researchers tried to decipher the secret of the Philosopher’s Stone, which, according to the legend, was encoded by medieval alchemists in the architecture of the cathedral.

And yet the main cause of the popularity of the most famous cathedral in the world is probably not its history. One of the greatest Christian relics, the Crown of Thorns of Jesus Christ, bought by Louis IX from the Byzantine Emperor in 1238, is preserved in Notre Dame de Paris. Today the Cathedral is attracting huge crowds of pilgrims from all over the world, and it can simultaneously accommodate up to 9,000 people.

There are no wall paintings inside the cathedral. Huge stained-glass windows, letting the sun rays through, paint the gray walls with a rainbow of colors. In some parts of the temple purple and blue colors prevail, in others – orange or red.

The three stained glass rose windows are among the most famous features of the cathedral.

Another famous Paris attraction, Conciergerie, that I have visited on the same day is located just five minutes walk from Notre Dame. For a long time, it was the home for the monarchs, but during the revolution, it was converted into a prison. It got its name from “concierges” – influential people who managed the palace.

You will be able to see here the cell of Marie Antoinette and also some of her personal belongings. One of the key figures of French revolution Maximilien Robespierre also spent some time in this prison.