Page 59 - Ocean Blue World Summer 2019 Edition

ARCHITECTURE

he cathedral, located in the geographical center
of Paris, receives 14 million visitors per year.
Previously the site of a Romanesque church and a
T Pagan temple, “Our Lady in Paris” was built at this
site 800 years ago. Its existence iconic, not only as a house of
worship, but witness, participant and survivor in the tapestry of
French history as it has unfolded since then.

Victor Hugo brought attention to the disrepair of Notre Dame,
instituting the cathedral as a monument to French identity, and
influencing its future, in his now classic book, The Hunchback
of Notre Dame, published in 1831. Notre Dame was saved by
a fire brigade during the Paris Commune, in 1871. Though
Paris was heavily attacked in both World Wars, the cathedral
received only minor roof damage during the First World War.

Donations continue to pour in. The building is being secured,
and an international competition to design a new spire to
replace the Eugène Viollet-le-Duc 19th-century replacement
of its original spire was launched. Craftspeople are sharpening
their skills and tools as the nation’s efforts prepare to bring
“Our Lady in Paris,” back to her former status.

“The lofty gothic ceiling

arched far above my head

and through the stained

windows the light came

but dimly - it was all still,
solemn and religious.”

- Bayard Taylor

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