Notre Dame Cathedral: Celebrating 850 Years as the Center of Paris





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I have been meaning to finish up this article for a while now, but never quite seemed to get around to it. But it remained in my "DRAFT" folder until I ran across it earlier today, and thought to myself, "Why not?"

So, here is a piece that I had been intending to publish on this site for quite some time, finally seeing the light of day. It is a bit outdated, now, but nevertheless,  I still wanted to publish it. Better late than never, right?

Hope you enjoy it.



It stands today, dominating the Ile de la Cite, the small island  in the center of the city that Notre Dame has symbolized in so many ways now for many a century. The cathedral seems now to be a quaint reminder of more noble and human times, yet it is far more than that. You probably have seen images of it, hundreds of images of it, standing above the Seine that flows by. The Notre Dame cathedral of Paris has also continued to stand as history flowed by like the waters of the Seine, and it still stands today as both witness and testament to that past. That is a noteworthy statement, given the history of the place, which included the coronation of kings and emperors, and which saw revolutions, particularly the big one in the late years of the 18th century that turned rather hostile towards religion in general, and Catholicism in particular, and finally, two world wars. The original bells were taken down and melted to make cannon balls during the French revolution, but the cathedral itself still stood, despite being pillaged and damaged. It had also been damaged during a riot by Huguenots back in 1548. It remained standing while foreign troops fought, and even marched triumphantly, on the streets of Paris, and it was even occupied by combatants during the days right before the liberation of Paris, in 1944. The bells of the cathedral sounded to mark the liberation of Paris. Notre Dame survived a plan by the Hitler and the Nazis to destroy it (and the rest of Paris, for that matter), and it survived that almost by sheer luck only when it dawned on the man assigned to carry out that task, last minute, that Hitler was a nut case, and that such orders should not be followed through.

Since then, it held the Reqiem Mass for both President Charles De Gaulle in 1970, and François Mitterand in 1996.

Through it all, Notre Dame remained intact. It has been changed by many of these events in history, yet it still stands today.

Notre Dame is significant for a long list of reasons - too numerous for any poor efforts on my part to accurately portray here. However, some things that make it stand out should be noted:

 - Notre Dame of Paris was, and still is, considered an architectural wonder in the Gothic style. It had wonderful, truly beautiful and inspiring stained glass windows not only in order to improve the lighting, but to add a definite beauty and, yes, even an air of divinity within it's walls. The outer walls have numerous, famous gargoyles that have become the stuff of legend. Also, the flying buttresses that support the cathedral were the first of it's kind, and thus, a novelty.

- It was here that the third crusade was launched, when Hereclius of Caeseria called for it in 1185. It was here that numerous kings of France were coronated, including Henry VI, a monarch of England, in 1431, and it was here also that Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France in 1804. Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) was declared a saint here.

- The cathedral is home to numerous holy relics, including some of the most famous and legendary ones, the "Crown of Thorns", as well as one of the "Holy Nails" and a fragment of the wood from the "True Cross" that Jesus was crucified upon. The "Crown of Thorns" is displayed on the first Friday of each month, as well as all Fridays during Lent. Lent services within the cathedral are very famous.

- It is here that Victor Hugo's legendary 1831 novel, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", was supposed to take place. The fictional Quasimodo loved tolling the bells of the cathedral. Hugo's novel helped many readers to understand the architectural significance of the cathedral.

- Medieval manuscripts have proven that music that was played here proved influential throughout all the rest of Europe. The acoustics within the interior of the cathedral make it very accommodating for music.

- The cathedral stands on the island that is the oldest part of the city, dating back to the days when the city was known by it's Roman name of Lutetia, later to be renamed Lutèce. It might have sank to the Seine, if not for a renovation program by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

- Notre Dame is considered not only the center of Paris, but of all France - literally and figuratively! My father, who is French, has repeatedly told me (and anyone else who will listen) that it is from here that all the distances from the capital city to other cities and regions in France are measured. Indeed, the square in front of the cathedral is known as "kilometre zero". It was here also that the first Norse settlers camped.

- The cornerstone of the cathedral was laid back in 1163, but the cathedral itself was not completed until 1345 - nearly two centuries later!

Such an incredible, and extensive, history!

It was a strong symbol of Christian faith, but has lost a strong measure of that significance over the centuries. In 1793, it hosted the atheistic "Festival of Reason", during the days of the French Revolution. More recently, as there was a general turning away from the total dominance that the Christian faith had held over France, and the rest of the Western world, for centuries, it still remained significant and symbolic, proving that it has transcended it's strictly religious roots.

Now, to mark the occasion of the 850th anniversary, the cathedral is getting new bells, in the most recent efforts to improve the quality of the cathedral, and restore some of the past glory that was lost when the bells were taken from it.

To conclude, here is a quoted part of Christian Fraser's great article on the subject,  "Paris Notre Dame cathedral turns 850 years". I think this is as good a way to end this piece as anything that I could come up with.

"The mighty cathedral is neither the tallest, oldest nor biggest in the world, but it can rightly claim to be the best-known.

For centuries it has witnessed the greatest events in French history: 80 kings, two emperors, five republics - and two world wars.

Its famous gargoyles, there to guard against the evil spirits, have faced both glory and tragedy over the centuries."



I got much of my information, as well as influence in writing this piece, from a wonderful article published by the BBC. Here is the link to that beautifully worded article, "Paris Notre Dame cathedral turns 850 years", by Christian Fraser of BBC News, Paris:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20800151


Here is a great video clip by the BBC  that delves a bit further into the history of Note Dame cathedral, including some brief footage of fighting during World War II:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20840811

Another video piece, "Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral celebrates 850 years",  that shows some gorgeous views of the cathedral and the city of Paris, as well as documenting some of it's incredible history:

http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/video/paris-notre-dame-cathedral-celebrates-113232888.html


This is an article by Sean McLachlan of Gadling, "Notre Dame De Paris Celebrates 850 Years With Special Events", that also delves into the history, and also is graced with a beautiful, full-sized photograph of the illuminated cathedral at dusk, with a Christmas tree in front of it, that you will hopefully appreciate:

http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/26/notre-dame-de-paris-celebrates-850-years-with-special-events/


Another great piece, "Paris' famed Notre Dame cathedral turns 850", by Agence France-Press, that delves into the history of the place, with particular emphasis on Victor Hugo's famed novel, as well as the efforts to preserve the cathedral by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/12/paris-famed-notre-dame-cathedral-turns-850/


Here is a link to an article, "850 Years: Notre Dame"  by Medieval Magazine, that details the installation of the new bells:

http://medievalmagazine.com/?p=352


Finally, here is an article on the stamp illustrated above (I got the picture from this site as well):

http://www.stampnews.com/stamps/stamps_2013/stamp_1358865023_271647.html