Illustration from an 1888 edition, by Luc-Olivier Merson. Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, looks down on Paris. Whatever the reason, Victor Hugo holed up in his Paris apartment for the next 4.5 months and doggedly cranked out the masterpiece that we know today. Others point out that Hugo’s debts were mounting and his publisher was on the brink of suing him for breach of contract. Some say this revolt, which led to the overthrow of King Charles X, crystallized Hugo’s vision of his novel. Then in July of 1850, the second French revolution (lasting only 3 days) erupted. They provide clues about his process, which initially was somewhat scattered and interrupted by other projects. Fortunately, many of his notes and the original manuscript for the novel were never lost. His early efforts languished for a couple of years. He wanted to write a novel that would depict the church as a sacred work of art, condemn society’s indifference to its plight, and encourage its preservation. Hugo worried that they were falling into ruin. After the French revolution, Notre Dame and other gothic monuments were neglected.

Several years prior, Hugo became aware of the cathedral’s alarming condition. In 1831, a young Victor Hugo enjoyed publication of his first smash hit, Notre-Dame de Paris, known by anglophones as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Films and 3D models will be presented in the archaeological crypt of the Île de la Cité, just below the cathedral’s parvis.First page of Victor Hugo’s manuscript for the Hunchback of Notre Dame, circa 1830. The exhibition presentation will retrace this turning point in Notre-Dame’s history with reproductions and digital devices so that visitors can turn back time and discover the world of the cathedral at different points. The emotional response to the fire on April 15th 2019 shows a deep, worldwide admiration for the building.

Like the famous novel by Victor Hugo and bold architectural designs by Viollet-le-Duc, these images have maintained the building for posterity.

Although he wished to remain faithful to the medieval building, he also allowed himself to indulge in a few creative additions: when he designed the sculptures, in particular the grotesques high up on the cathedral, he took inspiration from Hugo’s novel.Įarly photographs record this history and the many stages of the restoration project. Of Notre Dame, was published in 1831 with the cathedral as the main character and, prompted by the immense popularity of the novel, a public movement was created toĪ far-reaching restoration project was led by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc from 1844 to 1864. Suffering from vandalism and a lack of maintenance, the idea was even put forward of demolishing it. At the start of the 19th century, the physical state of Notre-Dame, which was then over 500 years old, began to deteriorate.

La notre dame de paris victor hugo