Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the most famous symbols of the capital of France since it was built over 850 years ago, and for many Russians, the image of Paris is largely associated with this gothic building, the analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza, Darya Melikhova told today in the National Question program on Vesti. FM.
The National Question is a weekly program on Vesti.FM, during which various aspects of national relations, primarily in Russia, are discussed. Russia’s reaction to the fire in Notre-Dame de Paris was discussed in today’s program.
The expert noted that the tourist route in the French capital includes at least a dozen "mandatory" attractions, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Champs-Elysees, Palace of Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Bastille, Montmartre. But the most visited object in Paris for more than one century was the Notre-Dame de Paris. "For those who visited this place, Notre-Dame was perceived not only as a pearl of Gothic architecture but also as a keeper of history. A place where the past eras flashed before our eyes, of which the Cathedral was a witness or even a participant," Melekhova said.
She recalled that the cathedral had a difficult fate. "The construction was repeatedly subjected to destruction and reconstruction, and more than once there was a real threat of its complete destruction and oblivion. During the French Revolution, the Cathedral was desacralized and de-Christianized. For some time it was turned into a secular temple. Notre-Dame survived two world wars and remained almost unscathed. Victor Hugo’s novel ‘Notre-Dame de Paris’, published in 1831, forever secured the cathedral’s place in popular culture, the expert recalled.
According to Melekhova, the popularity of Notre-Dame de Paris is explained not only by its unique architecture and luxurious interior decoration. "This is the place where millions of Christians made pilgrimages. In Notre-Dame de Paris, the nail with which Jesus Christ was crucified, the part of the cross, and the Crown of Thorns, with which Jesus Christ ascended to the place of his execution, were preserved. There was one of the largest organs in the world, consisting of 8 thousand pipes. Also the Cathedral was home for the Vladimir Mother of God icon, which was presented by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II during his visit to Paris in 2007, ” the analyst said.
"Notre-Dame de Paris is perceived as something living. It is not just a building. There has been prayer for centuries," Darya Melekhova concluded.
