Actually, you may argue that Notre-Dame de Paris, the cathedral of the archdiocese of Paris, is not the most important cathedral in France.
Notre-Dame de Paris is not the main church of France. Since 1079, the French main church is the cathedral of Lyon, correctly named La primatiale Saint-Jean-Baptiste-et-Saint-Étienne. The status was given by the Pope who made the archdiocese of Lyon the main archiocese in France.
The cathedral where the French kings were anointed is the cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims. Beginning from the 5th century.
The largest French cathedral is Notre-Dame d’Amiens. And many say, it is the most beautiful one.
And the Royal family attended service in Sainte-Chapelle, which had a direct connection to the palace.
So, Notre-Dame de Paris is nothing special. Not bad, but not exceptional.
What makes it iconic?
First, it is simply the cathedral of the capital city. And France is extremely centralistic, so the capital matters (the citizens of Lyon see this differently, of course).
Secondly, it is very photogenic, both from the architecture and from the location at the riverbank (before the fire).
Thirdly, Paris attracts a huge number of tourists. And practically all of them see Notre-Dame.
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