Notre-Dame foundation stone laid
March 24, 1163
Pope Alexander III, in exile from Rome, laid the cornerstone of the new Paris cathedral in person. The crowds around the old bishop's palace on the Seine's island watched masons begin a project none of them would live to see finished. The papal blessing lent the cathedral a prestige that attracted donations from across France, helping fund the ambitious double-aisled nave that would make Notre-Dame one of the largest churches in Christendom.
In context
Also in 1163 (3 other events on record)
- Ayyubid power grows in Egypt · Middle East · Politics
- Founding of the Cathar church at Saint-Felix · Europe · Religion
- Council of Tours · Europe · Religion
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Culture
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.