Strasbourg - Cathedral of Notre-Dame Cathédrale Notre-Dame

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame, built on the foundations of an Early Romanesque church begun in 1015, has long been famed as one of the noblest achievements of Western architecture, which reflects the whole range of styles from Romanesque to Late Gothic (12th-15th C). The west front (1277-1318) was the work of Master Erwin of Steinbach and his successors; the delicately articulated octagon of the north tower (1399-1419) was built by Ulrich von Ensingen of Ulm, the openwork spire by Johannes Hoeltz of Cologne (1420- 1439). In 1793, 235 statues and countless ornaments fell victim to the fanaticism of the French Revolution.