The cathedral Notre-Dame is the symbol of Paris and part of the French identity. The foundation stone was laid in 1163 - it took almost 200 years to complete. But Notre-Dame is not only an art-historical landmark, but also a historically significant national monument, which is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site and attracts about 13 million tourists every year. The fire in April 2019 caused great distress not only in France but in the whole world. In this book Thomas W. Gaehtgens impressively recounts the history of this cultural, political and religious place of remembrance.