Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame was commissioned in 1160 by Bishop Maurice de Sully, who wanted to rival the smart new abbey that had just gone up in St-Denis. It replaced the earlier St-Etienne basilica, built in the sixth century by Childebert I on the site of a Gallo-Roman temple to Jupiter. Notre-Dame was constructed between 1163 and 1334, and the amount of time and money spent on it reflected the city's growing prestige. Pope Alexander III may have laid the foundation stone; the choir was completed in 1182, the nave in 1208; the west front and twin towers went up between 1225 and 1250. Chapels were added to the nave between 1235 and 1250, and to the apse between 1296 and 1330. The cathedral was plundered during the French Revolution, and then rededicated to the cult of Reason. The original statues of the Kings of Judah from the west front were torn down by the mob (who believed them to represent the kings of France) and rediscovered only during the construction of a car park in 1977 (they're now in the Musée National du Moyen-Age).

By the 19th century, the cathedral was looking pretty shabby. Victor Hugo, whose novel Notre-Dame de Paris had been a great success, led the campaign for restoration. Gothic revivalist Viollet-le-Duc restored Notre-Dame to her former glory in the mid 19th century, although work has been going on ever since. The west front remains a high point of Gothic art for the balanced proportions of its twin towers and rose window, and the three doorways with rows of saints and sculpted tympanums: the Last Judgement (centre), Life of the Virgin (left) and Life of St Anne (right). Inside, take a moment to admire the long nave with its solid foliate capitals and high altar with a marble Pietà by Coustou; the choir was rebuilt in the 18th century by Robert le Cotte, but is surrounded by medieval painted stone reliefs depicting the Resurrection (south) and Nativity (north).

To truly appreciate the masonry, climb up the towers. The route runs up the north tower and down the south. Between the two you get a close-up view of the gallery of chimeras - the fantastic birds and leering hybrid beasts designed by Viollet-le-Duc along the balustrade. After a detour to see the Bourdon (the massive bell), a staircase leads to the top of the south tower.