Paris: Notre Dame

Max Pollak

This view of Notre-Dame de Paris, located on the Ile de la Cité was done by Max Pollak around 1926. The viewer stands on the bank of the Seine looking up at the towers of the west facade of the monumental structure, which, as I write this on Monday, April 15, 2019, is on fire. A cultural tragedy and another test of France's indomitable spirit.

In its history, Notre Dame Cathedral has endured destruction and subsequent restoration numerous times. However, much of the facade and interior still are true to the original designs. In the 16th century, both the Huguenots and the French king vandalized and changed a lot of the cathedral’s contents. Many of the features on the cathedral’s exterior were removed because they were considered to be idolatrous, and tombs and stained glass windows were destroyed in the name of modernization. The cathedral was converted into a storage warehouse for food, during the French Revolution, and the heads of many of Notre Dame’s statues were removed.

Between 1845 and 1870, a first attempt at restoration took place. A good portion of the previous century’s damage done to the cathedral was repaired, and new additions were built. Most recently, a new restoration program was started in 1991 and has gone on until 2019 with a focus on cleaning up facade’s and sculptures.