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Notre-Dame: the Soul of France

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Notre-Dame: the Soul of France

By: Agnès Poirier
Narrated by: Jilly Bond
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About this listen

The profound emotion felt around the world upon seeing images of Notre-Dame in flames opens up a series of questions: Why was everyone so deeply moved? Why does Notre-Dame so clearly crystallise what our civilisation is about? What makes ‘Our Lady of Paris’ the soul of a nation and a symbol of human achievement? What is it that speaks so directly to us today?

In answer, Agnès Poirier turns to the defining moments in Notre-Dame’s history. Beginning with the laying of the corner stone in 1163, she recounts the conversion of Henri IV to Catholicism, the coronation of Napoleon, Victor Hugo’s 19th-century campaign to preserve the cathedral, Baron Haussmann’s clearing of the streets in front of it, the Liberation in 1944, the 1950s film of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, starring Gina Lollobrigida and Anthony Quinn, and the state funeral of Charles de Gaulle, before returning to the present. The conflict over Notre-Dame’s reconstruction promises to be fierce. Nothing short of a cultural war is already brewing between the wise and the daring, the sincere and the opportunist, historians and militants, the devout and secularists. It is here that Poirier reveals the deep malaise - gilet jaunes and all - at the heart of France.

©2020 Agnès Poirier (P)2020 W. F. Howes Architecture Europe Religious Studies Sociology Middle Ages
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Perfect for research in Notre Dame or simply to learn more about her. Very well written and read.

Very thorough and entertaining!

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I bought this on a whim from the audible sale. It was the colours at the top of the cover that caught my eye & drew me in. It's not my usual type of book.
The author provides an engaging history of Our Lady of Paris. Published in 2020, it includes the fire of 2019 and the start in the restoration works. I remember watching on tv and social media totally aghast at what was happening. I was surprised at how emotional I got listening to those chapters. The descriptions of what was happening in front of the world. The accounts from those involved initially as the structure burned. Rescuing treasures, helping firemen, and Parisians watching as the iconic symbol of their city was engulfed in flames.

The historic information was enlightening on major stages of Notre Dame's life, from the laying of the first stone in 1163. Each time the structure was added to or adapted, Napoleon, Victor Hugo, De Gaulle, replacing the bells 2013. Linked in every way to the story of Paris and its people. This is by no means an exhaustive history, but it is interesting & informative and a great starting point for a deeper dive. The author's style draws you in, telling you a story.

I'm glad I followed that whim.

Our Lady

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