<P> The Archaeological Crypt of the Paris Notre - Dame (La crypte archéologique du Parvis de Notre - Dame) was created in 1965 to protect a range of historical ruins, discovered during construction work and spanning from the earliest settlement in Paris to the modern day . The crypts are managed by the Musée Carnavalet and contain a large exhibit, detailed models of the architecture of different time periods, and how they can be viewed within the ruins . The main feature still visible is the under - floor heating installed during the Roman occupation . </P> <P> In 1548, rioting Huguenots damaged features of Notre - Dame, considering them idolatrous . During the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, the cathedral underwent major alterations as part of an ongoing attempt to modernize cathedrals throughout Europe . A colossal statue of St Christopher, standing against a pillar near the western entrance and dating from 1413, was destroyed in 1786 . Tombs and stained glass windows were destroyed . The north and south rose windows were spared this fate, however . </P> <P> In 1793, during the French Revolution, the cathedral was rededicated to the Cult of Reason, and then to the Cult of the Supreme Being . During this time, many of the treasures of the cathedral were either destroyed or plundered . The 13th century spire was torn down and the statues located at the west facade were beheaded . Many of the heads were found during a 1977 excavation nearby and are on display at the Musée de Cluny . For a time the Goddess of Liberty replaced the Virgin Mary on several altars . The cathedral's great bells managed to avoid being melted down . The cathedral came to be used as a warehouse for the storage of food . </P> <P> A controversial restoration programme was initiated in 1845, overseen by architects Jean - Baptiste - Antoine Lassus and Eugène Viollet - le - Duc . Viollet Le Duc was responsible for the restorations of several dozen castles, palaces and cathedrals across France . The restoration lasted twenty five years and included a taller and more ornate reconstruction of the flèche (a type of spire), as well as the addition of the chimeras on the Galerie des Chimères . Viollet le Duc always signed his work with a bat, the wing structure of which most resembles the Gothic vault (see Château de Roquetaillade). </P>

Who is the notre dame cathedral dedicated to