Episode 713
Notre-Dame de Paris
Tue, 2019-Apr-16 09:57 UTC
Length - 3:44
Direct Link
Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of a popular Wikipedia page every day.
With 3,100,883 views on Monday, 15 April 2019 our article of the day is Notre-Dame de Paris.
Notre-Dame de Paris (; French: [nɔtʁə dam də paʁi] (listen); meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. The cathedral is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Its innovative use of the rib vault and flying buttress, its enormous and colourful rose windows, and the naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style. The cathedral was begun in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely complete by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the ensuing centuries. In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution; much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. In 1804, the cathedral was the site of the Coronation of Napoleon I as Emperor of France, and witnessed the baptism of Henri, Count of Chambord in 1821 and the funerals of several presidents of the Third French Republic.
Popular interest in the cathedral blossomed soon after the publication, in 1831, of Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. This led to a major restoration project between 1844 and 1864, supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who added the cathedral's iconic spire. The liberation of Paris was celebrated within Notre-Dame in 1944 with the singing of the Magnificat. Beginning in 1963, the façade of the cathedral was cleaned of centuries of soot and grime, returning it to its original colour. Another cleaning and restoration project was carried out between 1991 and 2000. The cathedral is one of the most widely recognized symbols of the city of Paris and the French nation. As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, Notre-Dame contains the cathedra of the Archbishop of Paris (Michel Aupetit). 12 million people visit Notre-Dame annually, making it the most visited monument in Paris. While undergoing renovation and restoration, the cathedral caught fire on 15 April 2019 and sustained significant damage, including the destruction of two-thirds of the roof and the spire. Both towers were safe. Because of the ongoing renovation, the copper statues that were normally on the now collapsed spire had been removed from the building a week prior. One firefighter was seriously injured during the blaze. The entirety of the Île de la Cité was evacuated as fears of the fire spreading mounted. Many artifacts were saved before the fire spread to other parts of the cathedral. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Notre-Dame will be rebuilt, stating "It's part of the fate, the destiny of France, and our common project over the coming years. And I am committed to it."
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 09:57 UTC on Tuesday, 16 April 2019.
For the full current version of the article, see Notre-Dame de Paris on Wikipedia.
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This has been Amy. Thank you for listening to popular Wiki of the Day.
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