Notre-Dame reopens Dec. 8, 2024

In the heart of Paris stands one of the city"s most enduring icons: Notre-Dame Cathedral. Built between the 12th and 13th centuries on the Île de la Cité—an island in the Seine—Notre-Dame has witnessed centuries of French history, from the Hundred Years" War to the French Revolution, and beyond. Although it was chosen by Napoleon as the site of his coronation as emperor in 1804, by the early 19th century, the cathedral was in a state of disrepair. However, one novel changed its fortunes: "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" by Victor Hugo. The popularity of this book helped encourage a restoration project that renewed the cathedral"s former beauty.

© Julien Fromentin/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Birthplace of the Renaissance
Dec. 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Dec. 8, 2025Christmas lights on buildings of Domaso, Lake Como, Italy

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov. 7, 2025Polar Bear Week
A grizzly bear sanctuary
Oct. 20, 2025International Sloth Day
Sep. 7, 2025Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława river, Poland
Stretching to the sky
Jan. 10, 2024Mylopotamos, Thessaly, Greece
Jun. 22, 2024World Rainforest Day
Jun. 15, 2025Happy Fathers Day!
Teddy bears of the sea
Part science experiment, part public park
Oct. 20, 2024International Sloth Day
Jan. 30, 2025Vancouver International Boat Show
Apr. 26, 2024Val di Funes, Italy
Jan. 9, 2024Rio Grande, Albuquerque
Postcard from the Canadian Rockies
Dec. 8, 2024Notre-Dame reopens
Dec. 27, 2024Lake Bled, Slovenia
Aug. 19, 2025Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Aug. 9, 2025International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
May 27, 2024Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve
Dec. 27, 2025Plate ice along Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States
Zion National Park turns 103
Aug. 29, 2025Aerial view of Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
Secluded sands in Mexico
The mystery of Stonehenge
Nov. 29, 2024Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
Happy New Year’s from down under
Jan. 1, 2024Happy New Year!
Feb. 24, 2024Almond trees in full bloom, California
Time to make an impression