NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL IN PARIS

This world-famous monument, whose name alone evokes the French capital for millions of people, is a piece of French history: the Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral, from the top of its more than eight centuries, proudly stands in the heart of the city. Although the commonly accepted date of the beginning of the works in 1163, the construction of the complex lasted several centuries, depending on the successive reversals to determine whether the complex should be Gothic or Romanesque. At the same time, treasures of ingenuity have been deployed to enable such a building to stand upright, like the buttresses of the nave, which we like to think have been performing their functions with beauty and elegance for centuries, all without moving. The towers, true symbols of the ensemble, rise into the sky, keeping the mystery of their elegance, with their silhouettes that we think we see passing, thinking of Quasimodo, but also – and especially – for the hundreds of statues and representations that adorn the portals. Because Notre-Dame-de-Paris is a masterpiece from top to bottom. For Catholics, the cathedral is also the heart of an intense spiritual life, with several daily celebrations… so inevitably, the incredible fire of April 15, 2019, which destroyed the frame and spire of Viollet-le-Duc (which had added the latter in the 19th century), deeply shocked, and put a temporary stop to visits and masses. Although no one knows exactly how long the works will take, the most important thing is that the building has been saved.