NOTRE DAME, Interior

And now you can finally go inside Notre-Dame cathedral.

Don't be put off if it seems too noisy; Notre Dame is always crammed with visitors, and not even the frequent announcements over the loudspeakers can establish silence. But if you can get past the auditory impact - and perhaps even some jostling - you can't help but be impressed by the architectural harmony of this monument.

With its 5 naves crossed by a double horizontal corridor behind the main altar, this grand cathedral is 130 meters long, 48 meters wide, 35 meters high, and can accommodate over 6,000 people! Admire the slender Gothic arches supported on pillars, and the elegant gallery of three-sided windows that runs along the central section and continues around the choir. In spite of the restoration work carried out in the 19th century, the interior architecture exudes a sense of great purity. Once you've taken in the overall effect, go to the back and visit the numerous side chapels.

Apart from the superb Gothic rose side windows and sculpted screens of the choir, there are not many medieval works inside Notre-Dame. The great paintings, both French and Italian, are mostly 17th-century, and the superb sculptures near the main altar are mainly 18th-century. See King Louis XIII and King Louis XIV in prayer, and the marble group of the Pietà. The wooden seats in the choir are also from the 18th century.

In the sacristy you can visit the Trésor de Notre-Dame, where you will see religious objects, priestly vestments and precious relics, such as a holy nail and a fragment of the Cross from Sainte-Chapelle that was brought here by Saint Louis IX....