Since its construction, 850 years ago, the Cathedral dominates the Île de la cité and the Centre of Paris. Seen from the Tour Clovis (from the Lycée Henri-IV), the Notre-Dame Cathedral stands out from the buildings and palaces of Paris and associates with the other churches it dominates.

From left to right: Saint-Eustache, the Sacré Cœur on the hill, the Tour Saint-Jacques (place of departure for the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela), Saint-Vincent-de-Paul on the left left and Saint-Gervais on the right of the Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Built on the Île de la cité, it was surrounded until the Revolution by the Archbishop’s Palace in the south and the monastery of the canons and monks in the north, inaccessible to the public. The west face alone was visible for citizens come on the forecourt, which at the time was much smaller. It can easily be seen on the historical map of Paris de in 1790