The most beautiful cathedrals in Europe - in photos

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Notre Dame Cathedral has long been regarded as one of Europe's most beautiful cathedrals - a behemoth of angular gothic architecture looming over the Seine, in the heart of Paris.

More than 850 years of history are crammed into its familiar twin bell towers and sweeping flying buttresses, as well as the countless priceless artworks within.

Its historical and aesthetic importance are practically unparalleled in modern Europe.

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It is thus no wonder that upon its partial destruction in a major fire yesterday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron said the people of France had seen “a part of us burn”.

“It's the very soul of Paris, but it's not just for French people. For all humanity, it's one of the great monuments to the best of civilisation,” Barbara Drake Boehm, senior curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's medieval Cloisters branch in New York, told the London Evening Standard. “Civilisation is just so fragile.”

As France prepares for the mammoth task of restoring its most iconic church, here are some more examples of outstanding religious architecture from across Europe.