CamSur

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Notre Dame Cathedral and Palais de Justice: The Soul of Paris (I Love Paris Series 7)

Notre Dame Cathedral and Palais de Justice
The Soul of Paris
I Love Paris Series 7

Few steps away from Île de la Cité  metro station, 



...at the Boulevard du Palais located within an island
at the River of Sienne is the Palais de Justice.





Formerly known as the Palais de la Cité or
the Palace of the City, it is one of the oldest
surviving buildings of the former royal palace.



This building was apparently a former
prison where Marie Antoinette was jailed
before being executed on the guillotine.



During the sixteenth century ,this was the seat
of the ‘Parlement de Paris’ where justice of the
state has been dispensed since the middle ages. 


While on the other end of the Île de la Cité
is the very famous ‘Notre-Dame de Paris’ .



Also simply known as Notre-Dame, it is a medieval
Catholic Cathedral and being considered to be one
of the finest examples of French Gothic Architecture.


The Notre-Dame Cathedral is among the
largest and most well-known church buildings in
the world and serves as the Archdiocese of Paris,


…and contains a reliquary, which houses some
of Catholicism's most important relics, like the
purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the
Cross of Crucifixion, and one of the Holy Nails.


The numerous statues, including the famous
gargoyles surrounding the church exteriors,
serve as column supports and water spouts .



Although we failed to climb the 387 narrow steps
of the several spiral staircases, as the queue was
kilometric, for  a fee, tourists can do so, and see its
famous bell and gargoyles up-close then be rewarded
with a spectacular view of Paris upon reaching the top.


The Île de la Cité  having Palais de Justice 
on one side, where justice is dispensed 



....and a famous church Notre-Dame Cathedral, 
 that serves as a spiritual guardian on another side, 



...these two tourist attractions- together, 
I believe serves as the soul of the city of Paris.

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