Paris- a day at monuments and churches

It’s a strange coincidence that i have visited most of the sites in the world, which are associated with the world be it Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth or Vatican. It was therefore, an emotional moment for me when I visited Notre Dame in Paris. Notre Dame Cathedral is a historic Roman Catholic Marian cathedral. It is widely considered as one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and is among the largest and most well-known churches in the world ever built.  Notre Dame is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris as it is the church that contains the cathedra (official chair) of the Archbishop of Paris.

 


inside view of Notre dame
 

The cathedral treasury is notable for its reliquary, which houses the urported crown of thorns, a fragment of the True Cross and one of the Holy Nails – all instruments of the Passion and a few of the most important first-


Notre dame

class relics. Relics that are claimed to be the Holy Nails with which Christ was crucified are objects of veneration among some Christians, i.e., among Catholics and the Eastern todox.

 

 

          In Christian symbolism and art they figure among the Instruments of the Passion or Arma Christi, the objects associated with Jesus' Passion. The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. In Christianity, the crown of thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ before his crucifixion.

          “Les Invalides” is another great piece of architecture that we visited. In 1670, King Louis XIV build the "Hôtel Royal des Invalides" for wounded homeless soldiers of its different wars .Les invalides, today is one ot the important monuments and attractions in Paris and is most popularly known for the Napoleon's grave which is located there. The building complex also houses three museums.

          The octagonal Place de la Concorde is the largest square in Paris. In 1763, a large statue of king Louis XV was erected at the site to celebrate the recovery of the king after a serious illness. The square surrounding the statue was created later, in 1772. At each corner of the octagonal square is a statue representing a French city: Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen and Strasbourg. It also has what is called Cleopatra’s needle and a statue of a galloping horse. Cleopatra's Needle is the popular name for the Ancient Egyptian obelisks re-erected in, Paris

          In the evening, we had the walking tour of the Sacre Coeur Basilica and its surroundings. The Sacré-Coeur Basilica is one of Paris's major tourist draws. The majestic building is located on top of the Montmartre hill. Due to its location on the Montmartre hill, the basilica towers have a height which is even higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower. Thanks to this prominent location the Sacré-Coeur Basilica is one of the most noticeable landmarks in Paris. The Sacré-Coeur Basilica has managed to keep its beaming white color even in the polluted air of a big city like Paris. This can be attributed to the Château-Landon stones which were used for the construction of the Sacré-Coeur. When it rains, the stones react to the water and secrete calcite, which acts like a bleacher.

 

It takes a bit of the efforts to climb at the top to reach the Basilica. There , however, are cable car like elevators which in itself look quite exciting to watch.

 

 In the vicinity of the Basilica is the famous Moulin Rouge - the famed cabaret immortalized by works by Toulouse-Lautrec among others. There is also Vincent Van Gogh's House near the Basilica where the artist lived with his brother Theo from 1886 to 1888. Also is the Place du Tertre, the charming artists square where works are painted and sold on the spot. The cobblestone street that lead to the Basilica itself is an attraction because of the souvenir selling small but beautiful shops. It is however, too crowded and a word of caution “beware of pickpockets” . I didn’t lose the opportunity to shop a bit and get hold of a few souvenirs including a replica of Eiffel tower to end the third day of our visit to Paris.