Disney's story was inspired by the romantic gothic novel "Notre-Dame de Paris," which was written by French novelist Victor Hugo in Over the years there has been many adaptations but Disney's version is one of the most well known.
Notre-Dame has been standing for hundreds of years and even survived two World Wars but it isn't the first time that Notre-Dame has been damaged. The cathedral was damaged and looted during the French Revolution, when many people associated the Catholic church with France's rulers, who they were protesting against.
The church's site is full of grand symbolic decorations, colourful stained-glass windows, artwork and gargoyles as well as other architectural details. The cathedral was even home to relics tied to Jesus. Emergency teams did manage to rescue valuable artwork and religious items.
Luckily, many statues and artworks had already been removed before the fire as Notre-Dame was being renovated after cracks were found in the building.
Millions of pounds have already been pledged to restore the medieval cathedral. Litter: The amazing ways you're cleaning our planet.
Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat could be saying goodbye to likes and streaks. Amazing pictures: What does Earth look like from space? Now onto the list of interesting facts. Here are ten interesting facts about this religious and architectural masterpiece in Paris. The Cathedral is the most visited monument in Paris.
France is the most visited country in the world. Surprisingly enough, its most visited monument is not the Eiffel Tower. If Disneyland Paris is the number one tourist destination in France, the Notre-Dame Cathedral is the most visited monument within the Paris city limits.
More than 13 million visitors pass through the grand gate of Notre-Dame every year. This means the Cathedral welcomes around 35 thousand visitors a day! If you wish to avoid the crowds, I recommend you arrive early at Notre-Dame. The gates open at AM but most visitors arrive a bit later, so take advantage of the early hours to visit the grandiose monument without thousands of people around. Standing here since the 12 th century, the Gothic masterpiece seems to have been here forever.
This island division, with one half dedicated to justice and ruling and the other one dedicated to religion — survived through times. During the Middle-Ages, the Roman Palace was replaced by the Royal Palace — which later became the Palace of Justice and the Conciergerie — and the altars were replaced by successive catholic churches.
Like often with churches, the bells of Notre-Dame bear names. But what is more interesting is the tumultuous lives of these bells. If Quasimodo, the famous hunchback created by Victor Hugo to ring the bells of the great Cathedral was an invention, the two-to-three ton pieces of bronze have had a life on their own.
The bells we now hear are no longer the ones installed upon completion of the Cathedral, six-hundred years ago. Indeed, after the French Revolution, in , most bells were taken down from Notre-Dame and melted to make cannon balls. New bells were only installed during the mid th century and contributed to a recognizable chime which sounded in the skies of the French Capital for years. In , to celebrate the th anniversary of Notre-Dame, the bells were replaced in a much mediatized ceremony and the chimes renewed.
A typical element of Gothic art, chimeras and gargoyles are well represented on the walls of Notre-Dame. Gargoyles are hollow statues located at strategic locations to ensure water drainage. Chimeras are purely decorative. On the towers of Notre-Dame, famous chimeras allow tourists to take well known perspective pictures with the tower chimeras in the foreground and Paris in the background.
Paris famous panorama from the Gallery of Chimeras — Source: Pixabay. People often think that these chimeras are representative of the medieval style of the Cathedral. However, the decorative chimeras of the towers panorama are not medieval at all! First of all, almost the entirety of gargoyles of the Cathedral have been replaced since de Middle-Ages : indeed, gargoyles in particular, due to their function, are not designed to last long.
Most have to be replaced every century or years. Most chimeras have also been replaced. Some statues had been destroyed and the bells had mostly been melted. It entered the 19 th century in a much degraded state, and almost fell into oblivion, being used as a storage place instead of a religious one.
In , however, Napoleon crowned himself the Emperor of the French in the Cathedral, propelling it back onto the front pages. Notre Dame — Source : Pixabay. Popular outcries to preserve it, and ministerial programs to preserve it lead to massive renovations directed by Viollet-le-Duc in the mid th century, thus saving this jewel of Gothic art.
Notre-Dame de Paris measures meters length by 48 meters width and the main nave is 43 meter-high under the roof. With such dimensions, it may come as surprising that the roof structure is entirely made of wood, dating back from the 12 th century.
The wood-timber frame is made of more than trees, each beam being made from one tree. Not a real beheading though. During the Revolution, the people was so disgusted by monarchy that they even started to take down every symbol of royalty on the streets of Paris. However, they were mistaken, for these statues were actually representations of the kings of Judah. In architecture, the golden ratio is visible in any shape composed by a square and a rectangle whose combined dimensions roughly correspond to a This ratio is known to be a dimension of perfection in art.
In architecture, some of the most appreciated and acclaimed buildings follow this ratio, such as the Parthenon in Athens, or the Taj Mahal in Agra. The height of the cathedral divided by its width roughly equals to 1. At last, Notre-Dame is home to a priceless treasure among which are the Holy Crown worn by the Christ, a piece of the Cross, and a nail.
If the rest of the treasure can be admired year round, you may see the Holy Relics every first Friday of the month during the dedicated worship ceremonies, as well as for Lent and Good Fridays. Though while France certainly hopes the Cathedral will be completed in time for the Olympic Games which will be hosted in Paris , many architects estimate the construction could carry on much longer. Some saying up to forty years. And you can even join our guided walking tour of Notre-Dame and the Latin Quarter.
It was opened in and visitors can access the crypt from 1 place du Parvis Notre-Dame. Bus : 21, 38, 47, 85, Presently, it receives over 8 million visitors each year. The Arc de Triomphe is an emblematic symbol of the capital of France and it represents the various victories of the French army under Napoleon, who commissioned its construction.
Visiting Notre Dame Due to the fire which took place in , the Notre Dame Cathedral is closed to the public until reconstruction work is completed. The crypt Located under the Parvis medieval square de Notre-Dame de Paris, the crypt contains historical ruins discovered during construction work in
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