This massive volume, a collection of papers from a conference that celebrated the 850th anniversary of Notre-Dame, covers the history of the emblematic cathedral of Paris throughout its existence. Five thematic sections, each containing several articles, deal with the bishops; the cathedral school and its relations to the University of Paris; canons; liturgy; and relations to the secular world. Together, they demonstrate the centrality of the cathedral in the life of Paris.

In its architectural conception, Notre-Dame served a function for the diocese as well as the king, and demonstrates the close ties between the Capetian monarchy and the Church (Dany Sandron). In the nineteenth century, it came to serve as the centre for ‘national religion’ (p. 49) and entered the literary canon as a national monument (Jean-Michel Leniaud). From Maurice de Sully (Nicole Bériou) to Jean-Marie Lustiger (Gérard Pelletier), the bishops of Paris played important roles in France. The widely different contributions of bishops of Paris are exemplified by Peter Lombard and de Noailles. Peter Lombard's Sententiae became foundational for theology (Claire Angotti). Cardinal de Noailles is an example of the archbishop's functions at the royal court under Louis xiv (Pierre Gombert). The episcopal entourage is worth studying as well, even if their influence cannot yet be measured (Charles Vulliez). Notre-Dame also had many collegial churches in Paris, which constituted sources of revenue for the bishop and chapter as well as allowing a direct intervention in the city's religious life (Anne Massoni).

How one of the canons could rise to be bishop of Paris is demonstrated through the election of Gérard Gobaille (Véronique Julerot). The history of episcopal tombs, however, demonstrates the paradoxical relationship between canons and bishops: the less Notre-Dame was the church of the bishops of Paris, as the significance of the canons predominated, the more the bishops were buried in the cathedral (Jean-Vincent Jourd'Heuil). A prosopographical study of the canons shows their significance as a cultural elite (Pascal Montaubin). One outstanding example is Jean Gerson (Bénédicte Sère).

Parisian intellectual life and thus one aspect of the role of the canons could not be analysed without considering the University of Paris. Marian theology as developed by the twelth-century secular masters focused on the Virgin's virtues, and thus differed from the affective and mystical approach of monastic authors (Marielle Lamy). Over the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the control that the chancellor and the bishop exercised over the university decreased, while the canons who taught retained a marginal position at the university (Nathalie Gorochov). Local ecclesiastical authority thus had less and less role vis à vis the Parisian masters.

Liturgical plainchant was characterised by great stability over a long period, signalling the cathedral chapter's predilection for conserving traditions (Claire Maître). Liturgy was also used in political and religious struggles as a propaganda tool to legitimise episcopal power, as done under Eudes de Sully, using the theme of the stoning of the protomartyr St Stephen (Guillaume Gross). The liturgy of Notre-Dame was exported as well: under Charles ii of Anjou, the basilica of St Nicolas in Bari, Southern Italy, was elevated to the rank of royal chapel, and therefore started to use the Parisian rite (Maria Gurrado). The recently discovered ordo for the coronation of Henry vi throws light on another aspect of the liturgy associated to Notre-Dame: its role in drawing parallels between the king and Christ (Jean-Baptiste Lebigue).

Contacts with the secular world were manifold. An analysis of the historiography of the Feast of Fools, focusing on interpretations of the ordinance of 1198, highlights how erudite interpretations tried to shape the Feast of Fools to suit the spirit of the age, interpreting it as superstition, then folk celebration and later as a dignified ecclesiastical feast (Yann Dahhaoui). Chaplaincies until their abolition in 1790 played an important role in celebrating commemorative masses for clerics and lay people (Grégoire Eldin). Another avenue for contact with the laity was Notre-Dame's tutelage over the hospital Hôtel-Dieu (Christine Jéhanno). Individual members of the cathedral chapter of Notre-Dame were important players in finance and trade in the fifteenth century (Kouky Fianu and Darwin Smith). French kings and members of the royal family between the sixteenth and eighteenth century were sometimes more present dead than alive in Paris; their sumptuous funeral rites were organised to renew popular affection for the monarchy (Jean-Marie Le Gall). Other religious ceremonies (for example to celebrate royal births) also continued to be important for the monarchy in the modern period (Lucien Bély). The final paper proposes the first outline for a future analysis of Lenten sermons between 1834 and 2004 (Gérard Pelletier).

A catalogue of books and manuscripts from the library of Notre-Dame that were on display at the special exhibition in the Bibliothèque Mazarine closes the volume. This excellent collection will become an important resource, providing lengthy entries with individual bibliographical notes on twenty-eight manuscripts and early printed books, representing a wide range of works. For example, one finds a thirteenth-century breviary that demonstrates the Parisian rite; the first edition of André Thevet's Singularité de la France antarctique (1558) on early views of America, especially the Tupi Indians; and the observations of a canon concerning the anti-Catholic activity of the National Assembly in the early phase of the French Revolution. A colour plate illustrates each item, demonstrating the riches of the library.