With its 10 million yearly visitors, Notre-Dame was the most visited site in Paris until a devastating fire ravaged its significant part in April 2019, suspending visits inside until further notice. The structure of the building itself was preserved, as well as most works of art that used to be contained inside (these are now temporarily stored elsewhere).

The place has always been the religious centre of the city: the Celts considered the grounds sacred, the Romans built a temple here, the Christians, a basilica, and the last religious structure before the Notre-Dame cathedral was erected was a Romanesque church. The Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame, finished in 1345, is a tectonic masterpiece. The massive structure is 128 meters (420 feet) long and has two 69-meter-tall (226 feet) towers.