Notre-Dame reopens Dec. 8, 2024

Notre-Dame 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. 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

Birthplace of the Renaissance
Dec. 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Dec. 8, 2025Christmas lights on buildings of Domaso, Lake Como, Italy

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct. 8, 2023World Octopus Day
A window to the Pacific
Santa slalom
Aug. 18, 2024Huntington Beach Pier, California, USA
Rising with the sun
You might be a red-necked grebe if…
Apr. 9, 2025Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
Oct. 30, 2023Common raven
When life imitates art
Sep. 22, 2024Autumn equinox
Happy Canada Day!
Bridging the gap two ways
Jul. 28, 2024Colourful bathing huts on the beach in Skåne County, Sweden
Jan. 26, 2025European beech forest, Belgium
‘A sustainable and peaceful common future’
Jan. 25, 2024Snowy owl
Aug. 7, 2025Monoliths of the Mingan Archipelago, Quebec
Jan. 15, 2025Lake Superior, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Big rocks, big heads, still counting?
And so it begins!
Masterpiece of acoustic science
Sep. 29, 2024West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut, USA
What the heck is a distaff?
Dec. 7, 2025A pine forest in Alsace, France
Jun. 24, 2025Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah, United States
The Rainbow Bridge
Sep. 8, 2023International Literacy Day
Is anybody home?
Dec. 19, 2023Castle Square, Old Town, Warsaw, Poland
Jul. 5, 2024Daintree Rainforest and Noah Beach, Queensland, Australia