I've had people tell me it's just a church. Course they've never visited. I was there for the first time in 1975. It took my breath away, there's definitely something spiritual you feel to your core. I felt extreme joy, awe and happiness.
The only other time that I've been such moved is when I visited Dachau. But it's a different feeling one of darkness and extreme sadness.
Both are worth visiting to experience the true arc of human experience.
I visited and while I found the scale somewhat awe-ing, it didn't have nearly as much an impact on me as you've described. What did have such an impact, however, was La Sagrada Familia
> I've had people tell me it's just a church. Course they've never visited.
It's kind of the opposite. Every city of significant size in France (and more widely, in Europe) has a cathedral, and many of them are comparable to Notre Dame.
The only other time that I've been such moved is when I visited Dachau. But it's a different feeling one of darkness and extreme sadness.
Both are worth visiting to experience the true arc of human experience.