As Paris reels from almost losing the historic Notre Dame Cathedral to a massive fire, it's a good time to appreciate just how old the building is.
Its construction was completed 674 years ago in 1345, which means sightseers had been visiting it for hundreds of years before many of the world's most well-known tourist attractions were even built.
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To put it in perspective, here's a comparison between the age of the Notre Dame and other notable attractions around the globe.
1345: Notre Dame Cathedral is completed
Construction of the French Gothic style building began in 1163.
1500: Approximate time of the last eruption at Rangitoto Island
Scientists estimate this was when the volcano last erupted. The Notre Dame was 155 years old.
1503: Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
The painting is now housed at the Lourve Museum just 1.5 km from the Notre Dame in Paris. The Notre Dame was 158 years old.
1626: St Peter's Basilica opens at Vatican City
The building is known as Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano in Italian. The Notre Dame was 281 years old.
1643: Taj Mahal is completed in India
The Taj Mahal is visited by around 8 million people every year. The Notre Dame was 298 years old.
1675: Construction begins on current St Paul's Cathedral
However, the old St Paul's Cathedral dates back as far as 1300. The Notre Dame was 330 years old.
1703: Buckingham Palace was completed
The East Wing of the palace - the main face we see in photos today - wasn't part of the original building. That was added in 1913. The Notre Dame was 358 years old .
1707: United Kingdom of Great Britain formed
England, Wales and Scotland joined by way of a parliamentary Act of Union. The Notre Dame was 362 years old years old.
1840: Trafalgar Square is opened in London
The square is one of the most visited and photographed locations in the UK. The Notre Dame was 495 years old.
Newshub.
