Here’s a couple of cheeky facts you may not know about me yet… but probably should.
- I love Gothic architecture, especially the examples found in France & Belgium!
- I’ve kind of always wanted to be Esmerelda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame…
No kidding… that woman’s sassy. At least I thought she was until I read the Victor Hugo novel and realised it’s a bit gross how all the men (even the Priest!) want to get off with a 16-year old girl and eventually she is hanged because the Priest couldn’t get her.
As I don’t fancy my chances on being saved from the gallows by Quasimodo I’m going to stick with the Disney version.
The Notre Dame de Paris
Unlike Esmerelda, The Notre Dame de Paris is just as beautiful in real life as depicted in both the novel and the Disney classic.
In between my previous two trips to Paris I got caught in a heated debate with a Parisian friend of mine now living in London. He prefers the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, which I had no problem with until he started to say that the Notre Dame is ugly in comparison.
Excuse me… did you say ugly?!
Okay sure, that garish Christmas tree that goes up every year annoys me. But below are the reasons why I end up along the banks of the Seine surrounding the Notre Dame on an almost daily basis any time I am in Paris…
The intricate Gothic architecture
“The saints were his friends, and blessed him; the monsters were his friends, and guarded him.”
– victor hugo | hunchback of notre dame
Visitors flock to the Notre Dame to appreciate it’s creepy gargoyles from the high decks of the towers. But the thousands of intricately sculpted figures and saints that cascade down above each of it’s three large oak front doors are far more breathtaking.
Each figure carries with him or her a unique expression, handcrafted centuries ago and yet still capable of displaying emotion despite years of weathering and exposure to the outdoors.
By far my favourite figure overlooking the entrance to the Cathedral is the tiny devil situated on the centre-right of the image above. To me it just seems so bizarre that such a creepy little thing would appear to carry equal representation as the angel beside him above the door to a Roman Catholic Cathedral. And yet there he stands giving evil eyes to al the tourists gazing up in admiration.
The Candlelight
“He found that man needs affection, that life without a warming love is but a dry wheel, creaking and grating as it turns.”
– victor hugo | hunchback of notre dame
All churches offer the exchange of donations for a candle to light in prayer, but the beauty of those at the Notre Dame is the knowledge that these candles will have been lit from individuals from all over the world. Of course, many will be Catholics visiting a great Cathedral of their faith whilst in Paris.
Yet many will be tourists from various countries, maybe even faiths, and perhaps some of those who light a candle may even be atheists. Who knows what moves a non-believer and a tourist to light a candle in a beautiful old church, but I hope it continues. Each few euros in donation helps contribute to the ever increasing cost of upkeep, and it is the least to do for a community of faith that opens it’s doors to us all for free.
The History
When a man understands the art of seeing, he can trace the spirit of an age and the features of a king even in the knocker on a door.
– victor hugo | hunchback of notre dame
Whilst initially completed in 1345, complete with the world’s first flying buttress (the funny arches on the rear of the building for support!), renovations on the building have occurred throughout the centuries. The most recent renovations took place in as late as the 1990s, but it was after the French Revolution towards the end of the 18th Century that the majority of the damage was done to this exquisitely crafted Cathedral.
The state of damage of the Notre Dame will forever be outshone by it’s position in both French and European society and religion. Not only the crowning location of both Henry VI of England and the French’s own Emperor Napoleon, the Notre Dame marks the spot where the rose of France, Joan of Arc, was beatified by Pope Pius X.
Channelling My Inner Esmerelda at The Notre Dame de Paris
Now as I have made clear the reasons behind my love for the Notre Dame de Paris, it makes sense that on my most recent trip to Paris last week I thought it was high time I took my Esmerelda costume with me! I mean people wear broken glasses & capes to the Harry Potter studios in London…?
Alright, so my photoshop skills are not up to par in any way shape or form! But it was worth a try right? I actually looked a lot less glamorous…
If anyone ever tells you that the Notre Dame is just a tourist trap you should avoid… ignore them and just go early so you can avoid the tourists but still experience it’s serenity & majesty!
Also if anyone ever tells you you’re too old to dress up as a Disney character tell them to stuff it!
Lots of love,
