Notre Dame Cathedral is a monumental building, which was immortalized by the great French writer and thinker Victor Hugo in his work.
Despite the fact that the cathedral stood in Paris for many hundreds of years, it attracted the attention of the general public only after the publication of the eponymous work. Since then, crowds of tourists began to visit this magnificent building in order to personally witness the place with which Hugo was inspired.
Subsequently, the cathedral became the second most recognizable symbol of France after the famous Eiffel Tower. A lot of interesting facts are connected with it, some of which we present to your attention.
10. Inside the Notre Dame is kept the Crown of Thorns of Jesus Christ
The cathedral is full of all kinds of works of art and religious relics. But the most significant of them is undoubtedly the crown of thorns of Jesus Christ, which they laid on his head immediately before the crucifixion.
The shrine was brought to France in 1238 and deposited in Notre Dame by Louis IX himself.
This relic attracts the eyes of Christians from all over the world who come to Paris specially for it.
During a fire in 2019, the crown was considered burnt in the fire, but, as it turned out later, the priest Jean-Marc Fournier, risking his life, took out the shrine from the burning building.
9. The cathedral became the main character of the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo
Despite the fact that today the Notre-Dame Cathedral is known throughout the world, this has not always been the case.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1163 and continued until 1351. All this time, Notre Dame was known only within Paris and did not have its cult status.
So for many years the cathedral gradually fell into disrepair, until with the filing of Victor Hugo, who wrote his famous novel “Notre Dame de Paris” in 1831, he found a second life.
The novel was a resounding success, and, given the fact that the cathedral not only figured in the title, but in fact was one of the main characters of the work, they decided to restore the building.
8. The cathedral is built so that there is not a single wall inside it
It seems surprising that such a monumental structure was built in such a way that there is not a single stone wall inside. Instead, columns are installed that are interconnected by stained-glass windows and arches.
The very interior of the cathedral is striking in its splendor. Throughout its long history, Notre Dame has witnessed many events, the echoes of which seem to still wander through the most remote corners of the building.
The architects of the cathedral were Jacques de Schel and Pierre de Montreux, who designed it in the style of the so-called "radiant Gothic", giving it a majestic and formidable look.
7. Annually, 15 million tourists visit Notre Dame
Interest in the work of Victor Hugo directly affected the popularity of the cathedral. Millions of tourists literally surged into Paris, wanting to personally see the place in which all the main events of the novel took place.
In addition, Notre Dame has become a place for a kind of pilgrimage, since by the 19th century an extensive collection of works of art and religious relics, including the crown of thorns of Christ, had gathered in it.
The cathedral was also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the most outstanding architectural monuments.
6. Notre Dame is one of the main symbols of Paris and France, as well as the most recognizable monument of Gothic architecture
Along with the Eiffel Tower Notre Dame is the most recognizable symbol of Paris. He is depicted on all kinds of souvenirs, documentaries are removed about him and immortalized in paintings.
In addition to all this, Notre Dame is considered to be the most famous monument of Gothic architecture.
Its impressive size, as well as richly decorated walls with bas-reliefs, the interior decoration with many statues mesmerizes its appearance and attracts the attention of a huge number of architecture lovers and ordinary tourists.
5. Napoleon I was crowned in the Cathedral
It is worth mentioning the fact that on May 2, 1804, the Emperor of France Napoleon I was crowned in the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Especially for this event, the building was draped with richly decorated canvases to give solemnity to this important event.
It was after the coronation that the cathedral received a certain share of recognition, but only among Napoleon's supporters.
It was no coincidence that Bonaparte himself chose Notre Dame as the place for coronation, since he considered the cathedral the most suitable for such a solemn occasion. In the future, many French rulers followed his example, including Napoleon III.
4. The cathedral was built with the expectation of accommodating the entire medieval population of Paris
Initially, the cathedral was built in such a way that it was possible to conduct not only services, but also to shelter the entire population of Paris outside its walls.
True, it is worth clarifying that in the twelfth century in the capital, there were only about ten thousand inhabitants.
And although since then the number of Parisians has increased markedly, such a huge capacity of the cathedral played into the hands of the French. After all, only thanks to this fact it became possible to receive such an incredible stream of tourists from all over the world.
3. In the XIX century, Notre Dame wanted to demolish
Now it seems unbelievable, but at the beginning of the nineteenth century the Notre Dame Cathedral was wanted to be demolished. As the main reason, the extremely deplorable state of the building was indicated.
The cathedral was dilapidated and needed restoration, but no one saw any value in it. And when the issue of demolishing the building was practically resolved, Victor Hugo intervened in the fate of Notre Dame.
Having appreciated the magnificence of the cathedral, the writer decided to perpetuate it in his work. After the publication of the novel and its success, the demolition of Notre Dame Cathedral was out of the question. In the same year, the restoration of the building began.
2. In the Middle Ages, Notre Dame was a bible for illiterate people
In the Middle Ages, the cathedral attracted attention not only with its monumental appearance, but was also considered a kind of bible among the illiterate population of Paris.
This became possible due to the fact that the facade of the cathedral was decorated with all kinds of sculptures, each of which carried a certain semantic load.
Mostly the emphasis was on Christian subjects, but scenes of the animal and natural world were also present.
Over time, the overall literacy rate began to rise, and the language of Gothic temples gradually went into oblivion.
1.On April 15, 2019, the first fire of Notre Dame Cathedral in the entire 855-year history of the building occurred
Unfortunately, even the most majestic and monumental buildings can fall victim to a fatal accident.
Having become a symbol of France, having survived several historical eras, a witness to Bartholomew’s night, the death of Joan of Arc and the Great French Revolution, Notre Dame Cathedral survived all these events, but was tragically burned down on April 15, 2019.
By surprising coincidence, the fire fell on Great Monday, which marked the beginning of Holy Week. Many believers saw this as a omen promising trouble.
However, almost immediately after the fire, it turned out that the cathedral was not completely burnt down, many relics and the interior of the building were practically not affected by the fire. Funds for the restoration were raised in record time, and the architects promise to rebuild the cathedral again within five to ten years.