Did you know? Here are 4 anecdotes about Notre-Dame de Paris in anticipation of its reopening.

It's one of the most emblematic monuments in Paris! Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, located on the Île de la Cité, is brimming with stories and secrets! As it prepares to reopen, here are a few anecdotes about it!

Two towers, stained glass windows, rose windows, gargoyles... from near or far you'll recognize this imposing Gothic-style cathedral enthroned on the Ile de la Cité in Paris. A monument now over 850 years old! And the least we can say is that through all these years of history, the cathedral has accumulated a certain amount of experience. Here are a few anecdotes!

Saved by a novel

Did you know that it was Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris that revived interest in the cathedral? Indeed, at the time of the French Revolution, the monument was simply cast aside. Its statues were damaged and the cathedral was used as a warehouse. The idea of destroying it and selling the stones was even considered. But Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, which placed the cathedral at the heart of the story, was not to be. The restoration of Notre-Dame began in 1845, under the direction ofEugène Viollet-le-Duc.

A real headache

Also at the time of the French Revolution, Notre-Dame boasted a long gallery of 28 statues representing the kings of the Kingdom of Judah. However, in 1793, revolutionaries, thinking they were statues of the kings of France, climbed onto the façade to decapitate all the statues! And it took more than two centuries for most of the heads, which had previously disappeared, to be found by chance in 1977 in the courtyard of a Paris hotel. The heads are now preserved at the Musée National du Moyen Âge in Cluny.

Saved a second time

Never 1 without 2! Notre-Dame Cathedral was partly saved a second time, as you no doubt know, following the serious fire on April 15, 2019. Among the items that survived the flames, thought to have been melted down, the cockerel at the top of Notre Dame's spire was found almost intact! It contained one of the thorns from the Crown of Christ, a relic of Saint Denis, and one of Saint Geneviève. We don't know if they're still there, or in what condition.

Starting point

You may never have noticed it, but on the forecourt of Notre-Dame stands the point zero of France's roads. In fact, it's the starting point from which distances to other French towns are calculated .It is materialized by a compass rose engraved in a bronze piece surrounded by a stone slab.

Did you know? Here are 4 anecdotes about Notre-Dame de Paris in anticipation of its reopening.

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