Notre-Dame Cathedral 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, published in 1831. 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

Dec 8, 2018How lovely are your branches
Dec 8, 2019Mod gear
Dec 8, 2020A fortress in the sky
Dec 8, 2021Petrified Forest National Park
Dec 8, 2022The Cathedral of Florence, Italy
Dec 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Dec 8, 2025Christmas lights in Domaso, Lake Como, Italy

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 31, 2018Cherry blossoms at the National Mall, Washington, DC
Dec 13, 2020The view will stop you in your tracks
Oct 30, 2022Polar Bear Week
Feb 24, 2018A red fox on the Swiss side of the Jura Mountain range
Apr 22, 2025Earth Day
Jun 29, 2026International Day of the Tropics
May 21, 2023Pont dArcole over the Seine river, Paris, France
Dec 26, 2021Happy Boxing Day!
Jul 7, 2022Heceta Head Light, Florence, Oregon
May 2, 2020Morocco in bloom
Mar 15, 2025Ides of March
Feb 26, 2023Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
May 4, 2018May the Fourth be with you…
Jun 1, 2019Hiking the High Trestle Trail
Dec 13, 2022Hallstatt, Austria
Jul 19, 2018Cosplay strongly encouraged
Oct 5, 2021A day to celebrate teachers
Mar 4, 2026Purple crocus flowers, Seven Rila Lakes, Bulgaria
Dec 3, 2020A Carpathian Christmas celebration
Apr 2, 2025Sandstone formations in the badlands near Caineville, Utah
Jul 25, 2025Colorful houses of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Jun 9, 2022Sweetheart Abbey, Scotland
Jan 13, 2019On the hunt
Aug 6, 2023Kagami-ike, Nagano, Japan
Jan 26, 2018Eastern grey kangaroos in Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park
Dec 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Nov 13, 2020Once upon a midafternoon dreary…
Jun 12, 2024Big Bend National Park anniversary
Sep 12, 2026California sea lions, offshore Mexico, Pacific Ocean
Mar 27, 2021Blink and you ll miss it