On April 16, 2019, five days before the celebration of Easter, a blazing fire engulfed the world famous Notre-Dame de Paris. A marvel of Gothic architecture, construction on the Notre Dame Cathedral was begun in 1160 and completed in 1345. For almost nine centuries it has served as a house of worship and refuge; a stalwart soldier that has survived wars and revolutions, and hosted weddings, coronations, and funerals for kings and queens, presidents, and political dignitaries. The cathedral has also offered solace and sanctuary to tourists, locals, and one very famous fictional hunchback. It's this rich mixture of social history and human ingenuity that makes the Notre Dame, in the words of one art scholar, "one of the great monuments to the best of civilisation."
Wounded but still standing, the world now watches as France rebuilds. Notre Dame de Paris: A Celebration of the Cathedral will detail the impressive architecture of the building, the priceless artefacts it contains, and the major historical events that have taken place in its presence. It will also show, through film stills and artwork reproductions, the ways in which the Notre Dame has permeated our popular culture. Coupled with informative text for each image, Notre Dame is the definitive book on the history of this landmark building.