The Notre Dame

Construction of the Notre-Dame first began in 1163 when the first stone was laid. By the 14th century and four builders later it was completed. The Notre-Dame was built in the Early Gothic style having flying buttresses, multiple windows, the architects having figured out all the ways to eliminate the most stone, and having a rose window.
I would give more detail but, for our visit to the Notre-Dame we climbed up the outside. It was 387 steps up through the western facade to come out on top of the church. One thing that I wanted to know about is who designed the gargoyles. As it would turn out, in the 19th century it was noted that the Notre-Dame required extensive repairs and in 1845 Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-Le-Duc took on the task. The restoration took up the rest of Violet-Le-Duc's days. Part of those restorations was to the western facade and that is how the Notre-Dame got its gargoyles. In fact it was once believed that gargoyles would ward off evil spirits, but now days they typically serve as decorative drains on the tops of buildings.


Citations:
Notre-Dame. www.notredamedeparis.fr. Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris, n/a. Web. 30 June 2013.