Victor Hugo and Notre-Dame de Paris

A landmark on the Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral has been through a lot. Did you know that it was saved in the 19th century thanks to Quasimodo and Esmeralda? Well... almost!

Notre-Dame damaged

To understand Victor Hugo's role in "saving" Notre-Dame, we need to understand the vicissitudes it underwent up until the 19^th century.

Over time, the cathedral underwent a number of often unfortunate interventions.

The architect of the Pantheon, Jacques-Germain Soufflot, for example, destroyed part of the tympanum! Later, during the Revolution, Notre-Dame was vandalised: the statues of biblical kings on the façade were confused with portraits of the kings of France and were partly destroyed. During the coronation of Napoleon I in 1804, large scaffolding structures were erected to conceal the ravages of time. Then, when the revolution of 1830 broke out, the cathedral suffered major damage, particularly the archbishop's palace, which was ransacked and looted. The deplorable state of the building was even considered for demolition!

Fortunately, a year later, the publication of Victor Hugo's novel caused a real stir in public opinion.

Estampe Notre-Dame de Paris par J. Berjot
Paris Musées / Maisons de Victor Hugo Paris-Guernesey

Victor Hugo's influence on the restoration of Notre-Dame

A vast symphony of stone

Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885) is a politician, novelist, cartoonist and poet. Take Les Misérables: there have been countless adaptations for theatre, cinema, musicals and, of course, cartoons!

Another must-read novel by this prolific writer? Notre-Dame de Paris, of course!

The cathedral is at the heart of the action in the Paris of 1482, with Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Claude Frollo all revolving around it.

As a leader of Romanticism, Victor Hugo deals with themes dear to this literary movement, such as passionate love and men torn between good and evil.

Published in 1831, the novel, which took almost 6 months to complete, was an immediate success and fuelled the political debates of its contemporaries: preservation of the national heritage and abolition of the death penalty.

Great buildings, like great mountains, are the work of centuries.

Deeply attached to France's heritage, Victor Hugo conducted a great deal of historical research in parallel with writing his novel.

The second edition of Notre-Dame de Paris (1832) was expanded to include new chapters, including "Ceci tuera cela" ("This will kill that "). This is probably his most famous passage.

"...architecture was, until the fifteenth century, the main register of humanity, that in this interval not a single slightly complicated thought has appeared in the world that has not become an edifice, that every popular idea, like every religious law, has had its monuments; that, in the end, the human race has not thought of anything important unless it was written in stone". Notre-Dame de Paris, Book V, Chapter 2 "This will kill that".

Thanks to the immediate success of the novel, a movement in favour of Gothic architecture and the preservation of the national heritage was born, relayed by Prosper Mérimée, inspector of historical monuments.

Notre-Dame de Paris par Victor Hugo, illustré par Brion, gravures de Yon et Perrichon
© Gallica BnF / Centre des monuments nationaux

The Stryge

You're probably familiar with the Stryge, the famous chimera that sticks its tongue out at the top of the towers of Notre-Dame... But did you know that this creature does not date back to the cathedral's earliest days? It was sculpted in 1849, during the major restoration work carried out by Viollet-le-Duc, and was inspired by... Quasimodo, the iconic character of Notre-Dame de Paris!

In fact, in 1842, thanks to the excitement generated by Victor Hugo's novel, a major restoration project was launched. Jean-Baptiste Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc won the competition organised to commission the general restoration of the cathedral. But they were not alone! Thanks to the substantial funds allocated for the project, they surrounded themselves with excellent craftsmen such as stonemasons, glassmakers, goldsmiths, etc.

In 1857, Jean-Baptiste Lassus died and Viollet-le-Duc regained full control of the project. Drawing on his growing influence, he designed elements freely inspired by the original model. This approach was much criticised for Notre-Dame, as for other projects such as the restoration of the Château de Pierrefonds.

Viollet-le-Duc's work did, however, bring medieval art and Gothic architecture back into fashion, in the romantic spirit so dear to the writer of Notre-Dame de Paris.

In 1862, the cathedral was added to the list of historic monuments, following in the footsteps of the buildings listed by Prosper Mérimée to protect France's heritage. Thank you Victor Hugo!

See you soon to climb the 422 steps of the towers of Notre-Dame.