02/25/2007 | Notre Dame, Paris

The western facade of Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris).

During the early 19th century, the cathedral was in a state of disrepair, and city planners began to contemplate tearing it down. French novelist Victor Hugo, an admirer of the cathedral, wrote his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame (titled in French Notre Dame de Paris) in part to raise awareness of the cathedral's heritage, which sparked renewed interest in the cathedral's fate. A campaign to collect funds to save the cathedral followed, culminating in the 1845 restoration.

01:12 Posted in France, May 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)