Notre-Dame Cathedral was built on the ruins of two earlier churches in Paris that were preceded by a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter. The cathedral's design was influenced by Romanesque architecture like the Temple of Jupiter, featuring identical column placement and layout. It also took design elements from St. Peter's Basilica. Notre-Dame evolved over time, introducing Gothic architectural innovations like pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and larger spaces compared to Roman architecture.

1. Notre-Dame lies at the
eastern end of the Île de
la Cité and was built on
the ruins of two earlier
churches, which were
themselves predated by a
Gallo-Roman temple. Notre-
Dame Cathedral consists
of a choir and apse, a short
transept, and a nave flanked
by double aisles and square
chapels. dedicated to
Jupiter.
Notre- Dame Cathedral
Front Facade of the
Nostre- Dame Cathedral
Precedents and Antecedents
The Gothic style of
architecture was strongly
influenced by the
Romanesque architecture
which preceded it; by
the growing population
and wealth of European
cities, and by the desire to
express national grandeur.
Plan of Notre- Dame
The visible connections
and inspirations taken
from the Temple of
Jupiter which is a
Romanesque architecture
church. The placement of
columns and the layout
which is identical to that
of the Temple of Jupiter
along with the addition
of newer features is
visible.
Similar form has been
introduces in the St.
Peter’s Basilica as that of
Notre- Dame. The basic
layout is an upgrade to
that of the Notre- Dame
Plan of St. Peter’s Basilica -
Precedent of Notre- Dame
Plan of Temple of Jupiter-
Antecedent of Notre- Dame
The Cathedral of Notre-dame and its
predecessor, the basilica of st. étienne
The basilica of St Etienne
existed for about six
hundred years before
Maurice de Sully, the new
bishop of Paris, decided
to raze the dilapidated
building and construct
and much bigger and
more beautiful edifice,
dedicated to Our Lady.
1160: The foundation stone for the vast new Gothic cathedral of Notre-
Dame was laid by Pope Alexander III on a visit to Paris
1250: Cloister portal to the north completed
1345: Construction completed

2. Developement of Nostre- Dame
Nostre- Dame cathedral
construction evolved, with
ribbed vaults and pointed arches
appearing at the start of the
eleventh century. This first major
innovation in gothic cathedrals
- the pointed arch - replaced the
rounded Roman arch and enabled
the building of more complex and
higher buildings. This evolved to
include the ribbed, arched vaults
of large buildings, which were
able to span much large spaces
than could the Roman arch. Cross-
section of the cathedral nave,
showing the unusual four-tier
construction.
Naming Parts of a Gothic Cathedral
Christianist cathedrals and
churches are usually built to
have a floor-plan shaped like a
cross. The head of the cross is
generally oriented towards the
East, towards Jerusalem. Thus
the transept, running north
and south, is the cross-bar of
this cross. The foot of the cross,
at the west end, accommo-
Christianist cathedrals and churches are usually built to have a floor-
plan shaped like a cross. The head of the cross is generally oriented
towards the East, towards Jerusalem. Thus the transept, running north
and south, is the cross-bar of this cross. The foot of the cross, at the
west end, accommodates the spectacular portals of the main entrance .
• Transept: Going across the main body of the cathedral, with north and south
arms, sometimes with side doors.
• Narthex: A vestibule, found in some earlier churches.
• Side aisles: these can sometimes be double.
• Nave: the space between four pillars is called a bay or a transverse section. The
vaulting went diagonally across between the piers of each bay. [Nave is the
French word for ship or vessel]
• Chancel: is the part of the church to eat of the transept. The word choir is
sometimes used sloppily for this area, but more sensibly just applied to the
area where the choir sings. The chancel includes the high altar at its eastern
end.
• Apse: semi-circular or polygonal ending to the chancel.
• Ambulatory: walking area around the chancel.
• Chevet: a name used in France for the eastern end of the church in general,
including the chancel, apsidal chapels and ambulatory.
• Rood screen (choir screen, chancel screen, or jube) : an ornate stone or wood
partiton dividing the nave from the choir.