Author Victor Hugo called it “a sublime and majestic edifice” and lamented the state of “this aged queen of our cathedrals” in the 19th century. As Notre Dame is reduced to a shadow of its former glory by a tragic fire, we take a look at the building’s cultural and artistic resonance over the years.
Composer and conductor Gabriel Chernick tells us about performing in its hallowed interior just hours before the fire took hold, while historian and guide Odile Pinard expands on spiritual weight of the cathedral which inspired Victor Hugo’s historical novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.
