Explore Paris! Notre Dame de Paris: A gothic masterpiece. Notre Dame, conceived by Maurice de Sully, was built between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries (1163-1345). Road distances in France are calculated on the basis of the "0 km" marked on the square in front of the cathedral. This important vestige of the Palais des Capétiens offers a remarkable testimony to fourteenth century civil architecture with the Salle des Gens d'Armes, the Guardroom and the kitchens. Practically all the lower floor of the palace was transformed into a prison in the fifteenth century, the cells may be visited (including Marie-Antoinette's) and discovery of the souvenirs of the Revolution.
