Notre-Dame History: Who Built It, When, and How Long It Took (1163 to Today)

Who built Notre-Dame?

Notre-Dame was not designed by one famous architect. It was the project of Maurice de Sully, Bishop of Paris from 1160, who wanted a cathedral worthy of a fast-growing capital. He demolished the older churches on the eastern tip of Île de la Cité, including a large basilica dedicated to Saint Stephen, and in 1163 the first stone was laid, by tradition in the presence of Pope Alexander III.

The people who actually designed and built it were master masons, the architects of the Middle Ages. The names of the first ones are lost. Later masters signed their work: Jean de Chelles designed the north transept façade around 1250 (his name is carved at the base of the south transept), and Pierre de Montreuil, also famous for his work at Saint-Denis, completed the south transept and its rose window. In the 14th century, Pierre de Chelles and Jean Ravy worked on the chevet, the choir screen and the flying buttresses. Hundreds of anonymous quarrymen, carpenters, glaziers, sculptors and laborers did the rest.

When was Notre-Dame built, and how long did it take?

The building went up in stages, from east to west, so that services could continue during construction:

• 1163First stone laid; work starts on the choir.
• 1182The high altar of the choir is consecrated.
• c. 1200–1220The nave is completed and work starts on the west façade.
• c. 1220–1225The west rose window is installed.
• c. 1250The two towers are completed; the transepts are rebuilt with their huge rose windows.
• c. 1260The cathedral is essentially finished.
• c. 1345The last chapels and flying buttresses are completed: the medieval building site closes.

So how long did it take to build Notre-Dame? About 100 years for the main structure and 180 years for the whole medieval project. Most of the people who started it never saw it finished.

Eight centuries of French history in one building

• 1239King Louis IX (Saint Louis) brings the Crown of Thorns to Paris; it is kept at Notre-Dame today.
• 1431Henry VI of England is crowned King of France at Notre-Dame during the Hundred Years’ War.
• 1455The retrial that will clear Joan of Arc’s name opens at Notre-Dame.
• 1572Henri of Navarre (the future Henri IV) marries Marguerite de Valois in front of the cathedral, days before the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre.
• 1793During the Revolution the cathedral becomes a « Temple of Reason »; the 28 kings of the façade are beheaded (many heads were rediscovered in 1977 and are now at the Musée de Cluny).
• 1804Napoleon crowns himself Emperor in Notre-Dame, a scene painted by Jacques-Louis David (now in the Louvre).
• 1831Victor Hugo publishes « Notre-Dame de Paris » (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame), sparking a campaign to save the decaying building.
• 1844–1864Lassus and Viollet-le-Duc restore the cathedral, add the spire, the chimeras and the sacristy.
• 1944The bells ring and a Magnificat is sung to celebrate the Liberation of Paris.
• 2019On April 15, a fire destroys the spire and the medieval roof frame.
• 2024On December 7 and 8, the restored cathedral reopens.

Read also:Notre-Dame Gargoyles and Chimeras: What They Are, Where to See Them, and the Stories Behind Them

The 2019 fire and the restoration

On the evening of April 15, 2019, a fire broke out in the roof. Within hours, the 19th-century spire collapsed and most of the 13th-century oak frame, nicknamed « the Forest », was destroyed. Firefighters saved the two towers and the main structure; the vaults largely held. Around €846 million was donated by some 340,000 donors in 150 countries.

The rebuilding, led by a public body created for the purpose, chose to restore the cathedral to its last known state: a new oak frame built with medieval techniques, a lead roof, and a spire identical to Viollet-le-Duc’s, topped by a new golden rooster. Notre-Dame reopened on December 7 and 8, 2024, after five years of work, and welcomed around 11 million visitors in 2025. Some exterior work, including the redesign of the surroundings, continues.

Who owns Notre-Dame today?

Notre-Dame belongs to the French State. Church property was nationalized during the Revolution, and the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State confirmed public ownership of cathedrals while giving the Catholic Church the exclusive and free use of them for worship. That is why the State paid for the restoration with donations, why the towers are run by a public body, the Centre des monuments nationaux, and why entry to the cathedral is free. And yes, Notre-Dame is a Catholic cathedral: the seat of the Archbishop of Paris.

Why Notre-Dame matters

Notre-Dame was one of the first great Gothic cathedrals, and one of the first buildings to use flying buttresses on a large scale. Its façade became a model across Europe. Point Zero, the bronze star on the square from which all road distances in France are measured, sits right in front of it. Discover the details in our guide to Notre-Dame’s architecture and floor plan and our 20 fascinating facts.