Today’s The World Around Us will be presented in French, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Greetings, peaceful viewers, and welcome to The World Around Us. Today, we invite you to join in our pilgrimage to the Notre Dame de Paris, or Our Lady of Paris. This cathedral is one of the most glorious symbols, a tribute to the profound faith of the French people during the Middle Ages and subsequent centuries. Moreover, as a Gothic masterpiece, it retains a special position in art and architectural history.

The Notre Dame Cathedral is situated in the eastern half of a natural island called Île de la Cité, at the heart of the French capital city, embraced by two branches of the Seine River. About 2200 years ago, it was inhabited by the Gaul tribe of Parisii. Later, it became a royal residence for the kings of France. The Island not only served as an administrative center, but also played a key role in Parisians’ religious lives.

It is said that in the Middle Ages, there were 17 churches on this small piece of land. Notre Dame de Paris, in its over 800 years’ history, has been the core for Île de la Cité, and for Catholic adherents in the entire country.

Today, it is the cathedral of the Catholic archdiocese of Paris. Many significant national and international events have been held here: 13 million believers, pilgrims and tourists visit each year. It is believed that the Temple of Jupiter, built by the Romans, once stood where today’s Notre Dame Cathedral is located. Later, Christian worship houses were constructed.

Among these was a magnificent cathedral that was built during the Gaulic Roman period from the 1st to the 5th century. In the 12th century, Bishop Maurice de Sully of Paris made the decision to build a new cathedral in dedication to the Holy Virgin Mary and to accommodate the continuously increasing number of worshippers.

The foundation of this new cathedral, called Notre Dame de Paris, was set in 1163. The construction lasted for more than 180 years till its completion in 1345. During this period, the entire city’s population contributed to the project voluntarily in various ways. Some offered financial donations, while others offered labor, skill and knowledge.

It was due to the faith of the people of Paris that the magnificent Notre Dame was built. In the later history of the cathedral, several restorations had been carried out under the supervision of various architects, including influential ones like Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

Notre Dame de Paris has been famously described in literature. Victor Hugo, who authored one of the greatest historical romances titled by the exact name of this sacred building, wrote about the cathedral: “Each face, each stone of this venerable monument is not only a page of the history of the country, but also of the history of knowledge and art.... Time is the architect, the people are the builder.”

The beginning of the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral coincided with the development of the Gothic Art movement. During the Middle Ages, from the mid-12th century, Gothic Art flourished in western and central Europe, which is well demonstrated in painting, sculpture and architecture.

In fact, the Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the finest examples of this style in the world. It bears many classic Gothic architectural features, such as pointed arches, stained glass windows, elaborate ornaments, and flying buttresses. The majesty of this sacred building inspires visitors to contemplate on the Divine. The vivid images of Holy Mary symbolize motherly love, which evokes a sense of closeness from the worshippers.

Now, let us have a more detailed view of this masterpiece. The west façade of the Notre Dame is one of the most popular postcard images representing the city of Paris. This massive front of the building is 41 meters wide and 63 meters high, including the towers. It is a harmonious integration between horizontal and vertical lines, as well as between the shapes of circle and square.

Similar to many other religious buildings, the circle represents the infinite quality of God that is without beginning or end. The square symbolizes the limitation of the physical world. The combination of the circle and square signifies God’s boundless love in the human world. This is expressed through the focal point of the façade, showing the Virgin Mary with the child Jesus in her arms, surrounded by two angels who serve them.

Behind that is a great circular western rose-window framed in a square, which appears as a huge aura around the figures, and the heart of the rose-window forms a halo around the heads of the infant Jesus and Saint Mary. It indicates the elevation and holiness of these two glorious souls who came to grace our Earth.

The whole façade is divided into two parts by a line of small columns 6 meters high. They constitute a division between the two towers and the rectangle of the base. The lower part of the façade is marked by three-porch entrances with their tympanum sculpted and painted with bright colors and gold.

The largest one is the central portal with the theme of the Last Judgment and the resurrection and the glory of Lord Jesus Christ. The scene of the Last Judgment serves as a reminder to live a virtuous life for the believers, who are about to access the interior of the house to worship God. The portal on the south is known as the Portal of Saint Anne, which is to honor Mary’s mother; the one on the north is the Portal of the Virgin, depicting the Coronation of Mary.

When we return, let’s explore more special features of Notre Dame de Paris. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to The World Around Us on Supreme Master Television. Bells of Christian churches are believed to represent the Divine Word, or the heavenly Sound, which is at the origin of all things in the universe. Today they serve their role to call the faithful to pray.

The south tower of Notre Dame de Paris has a famous bronze bell named “Emmanuel.” It is the secret name of Jesus that means “the One that saves.” The Emmanuel was recast in 1631. It is the oldest bell and has a diameter of 3.5 meters and a height of 5 meters. During times of favorable weather and stillness in the surroundings, the sound of this bell could be heard up to 10 kilometers away and echoes in the whole valley of Paris.

The interior of the Notre Dame Cathedral is capable of housing 6,000 worshipers. The builders of the Gothic era employed specific construction techniques, such as pointed arches and flying buttresses, to build churches that had great height and thinner walls, without compromising strength and stability. This also made possible the large areas of beautiful stained glass, which brought in a special light effect to the house of God.

Notre Dame was among the first that had included these special features. The three rose windows on the west, north and south, which are dated from the 13th century, are often described as some of the best examples of stained glass windows of the Middle Ages. In the same manner as the other exterior and interior visual art works of the cathedral, such as sculptures, painting, or frescos, these windows depict biblical stories and scenes that deliver the enlightening teachings of Christianity.

The south rose window installed around 1260 was a gift from the King, Saint Louis, also known as King Louis IX. The cathedral was also the site where Parisians came to bid farewell to their king when he passed away in the late 13th century. King Louis IX has been praised as an ideal Christian monarch.

He has been described as both a great king and a wise man. His compassion and sense of justice made him especially loved by his people. The period of his rule has been called the “golden century of Saint Louis.”

Close to the Cathedral, there was a large hospital called the Hotel Dieu, meaning “the House of God,” which could accommodate up to 1,000 patients. Its operation was based on the Christian virtues of faith and charity. King Louis IX used to visit the hospital regularly, sometimes spending entire days tending to and comforting the sick and destitute.

The saintly king often came with his brothers, the princes, and his ministers, whom he encouraged to do good deeds. To him, a prince had a higher responsibility to share with the poor a part of his time and wealth. In 1239, King Louis IX had the highly revered symbolic relics of Christendom – the crown of thorns of Jesus – installed in Notre Dame Cathedral.

Today, this and other sacred relics, which are connected with the unconditional love and sacrifice of Lord Jesus, are still preserved in the cathedral. In its long history, Notre Dame Cathedral has hosted many extraordinary events and is associated with some of the most distinguished individuals of France and visitors from abroad.

In 1909, Joan of Arc, the French national heroine, was beatified by His Holiness Pope Pius X at this revered location. It was also at the Notre Dame that in 1944, General Charles de Gaulle, prayed to God in thankfulness for the return of peace.

In 1980 and 1997, during the celebration of the World Youth Day, His Holiness Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral. Later, when His Holiness passed on, numerous believers came to this cathedral to pray and to wait for the nomination of the new Pope, His Holiness Benedict XVI.

His Holiness Pope John Paul II recited the following prayer when he first visited the Notre Dame Cathedral on May 30, 1980.

Virgin Mary, in this great Christian site, We pray to you for all the Earth’s people. You, full of grace, may they be one in Love! We appreciate all fellow citizens whose contribution and faith have made it possible for the Notre Dame de Paris to flourish as a testament of humanity’s intrinsic connection with the Divine. May God continue to bless the magnificent Notre Dame de Paris to beautify and uplift our world for eons to come.

Thank you for joining us on The World Around Us. Now, please stay tuned for Words of Wisdom, after Noteworthy News, here on Supreme Master Television. May God grant you and your cherished ones love, peace, and happiness always.