The Notre Dame Cathedralwhich will reopen to the public on Sunday after a five-year restoration following a devastating fire, stands as a jewel of Gothic architecture, a symbol of Paris and a tourist magnet.
But behind the grandeur of the cathedral, which took 182 years in the making Between the 12th and 14th centuries, some surprising stories are hidden. From medieval myths to modern mysteries, here are five special things to know about this Parisian landmark:
The importance of Notre Dame goes beyond its architecture and history — it is literally the point from which all roads in France begin.
In front of the cathedral, embedded in the cobblestones, lies a modest bronze and stone plaque with the inscription “zero point of French roads”which means “starting point of the roads of France”. This plaque marks the starting point to measure the distances between Paris and other cities in the country.
Although the plaque was installed in 1924, the idea of a “national zero” dates back to 1769. The king Louis XV envisioned a central reference for France’s growing road network, a concept that linked the nation’s geography to its heart in Paris.
Those terrifying stone creatures at Notre Dame may look ancient, but not all of them are what they seem. True gargoyles, which are monster-shaped canals used to drain rainwater, have existed since the time of the cathedral’s construction. But the dramatic and monstrous figures often depicted on postcards and movies are chimeras, and they are much newer.
In the 19th century, the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Ducwho was in charge of renovating the then decrepit building, added these creatures to increase the mysticism of the cathedral. Viollet-le-Duc was inspired by the famous book by Victor Hugo The Hunchback of Notre Dame to create these demonic animal figures with personified expressions.
How to distinguish them? The gargoyles resemble horizontal spikes protruding from the façade and have holes in their channels to allow water to drain.
During the French Revolution, which saw waves of protests against the Church, Notre Dame was not exactly treated as a revered cathedral. In 1793, the revolutionaries stripped it of its religious symbols and renamed it “Our Lady of Reason” (Our Lady of Reason).
Instead, the cathedral hosted festivals celebrating science and the ideas of the Enlightenment, and for a short time, it was even used as a wine warehouse.
Religious services resumed in 1795 and Notre Dame regained its sacred status promoted by the French emperor Napoleon I, who celebrated his coronation there in 1804, immortalized in a famous painting by Jacques-Louis David.
In 1792, the revolutionaries also They decapitated 28 statues of the façade of Notre Dame, confusing them with French monarchs. They were actually ancient kings of Judah, biblical ancestors of Jesus. The heads were believed to be lost forever, possibly destroyed or sold as building materials.
But in 1977, workers renovating a courtyard in Paris’s 9th arrondissement discovered hundreds of stone sculpture fragments. Experts confirmed that they were the missing heads of the kings of Notre Dame. How they ended up buried there remains a mystery.
Hoy, 22 of the heads have been restored and are exhibited in the Cluny Museum in Paris. Its discovery is considered one of the most notable archaeological finds in the city’s modern history.
The 2019 fire that nearly destroyed Notre Dame revealed a serious health risk. When the flames melted the roof, tons of toxic lead dust in the air and settled throughout Paris.
The problem? Officials discovered there were no standards to measure the danger of lead dust outdoors. This wasn’t just a Paris problem — big cities like London y Romaand even the World Health Organization, have no guidelines for outdoor lead contamination.
The Notre Dame fire highlighted a hidden problem and forced officials to take a closer look at their safety standards. The city took four months to complete a deep sidewalk cleaning operation, even as tourists, residents and merchants walked the streets around the cathedral daily.
(With information from AP)
