The Cathedral of Notre Dame (n´ trdåm´) is one of the best known churches in the world. Where it stands there has stood a church for 1500 years. The present Cathedral was begun in 1163, but it was not completed till 200 years afterward. At one time it was a noted sanctuary (snk´ t--r) for criminals. That is, if a man committed a crime he could flee to a church and be free from arrest by the civil officers. Many criminals of Paris fled to Notre Dame and cried, "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" The church protected them as long as they were within the walls. The Cathedral is squat in appearance. This is because the two towers that you see have never been topped by spires. It is 517 feet long and 156 feet wide. The front entrance has 3 fine Gothic openings. You can see the beauty of these in the view. In the front of the second story is a magnificent rose window-the round one in the center. This is 42 1/2 feet across. On either side of it is a pointed window. The third story is a balcony. This is divided in the front into three sections. Each has 4 pairs of pointed arches, about 26 feet high. Above this story rise the 2 unfinished towers, 223 feet high. From the towers one can have a fine view of all Paris. In the tower on your right there hangs the great bell of Notre Dame, weighing 12 1/2 tons. The clapper of this bell weighs nearly half a ton. You can see about the foot of the towers queer-looking carved figures. These are called gargoyles. They represent all kinds of animals and peoples of mythology. The building inside is beautifully finished. The great organ has 6,000 pipes and 5 key-boards. Some day, you should read Hugo's "Hunchback of Notre Dame." Keystone ID: 3104 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.