Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral Celebrates 850 Years

2013 marks the 850th anniversary of one of France's most enduring icons -- the Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame, in the heart of Paris.

Published

4 months ago

Categories

Arts & Society

Topics

Arts & Culture, History, Europe, Religion & Spirituality

Places

France, Paris

Transcript

SCRIPT: It's one of France's most iconic sites, drawing some 40,000 visitors every day of the year. Notre-Dame cathedral has been towering over the heart of Paris for eight and a half centuries. Immortalised around the world by Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, this has become one of the enduring symbols of France's rich history and character. SOUNDBITE, John Baxter, Author, (English, 29 sec): "Notre-Dame has a very deep significance in the sense of the French as French; it is echt French, it is deep, deep in the roots. I mean we're standing on the spot where the very first Norse settlers made their first camp – you cannot get closer to the heart of France than this. But, this is a secular country – you can't really say that it has the same religious significance it used to." Indeed, it's also a major operation in logistics, employing an army of workers -- the ancient stones coexisting now with banks of ultramodern technology. SOUNDBITE 2, Laurent Prades, Site Manager (French, 15 sec): "This is an audiovisual rig with five cameras on rotating heads, remote-controlled, which film the services and display them on screens installed in the aisles, in places where the faithful can't see the altar." Above the heads of worshippers and tourists, on the cathedral roof, a jumble of gargoyles and buttresses looks out over the whole city of Paris. The highest point, a central spire, was only added in the 19th century -- but has still seen plenty of action. SOUNDBITE 3, Frédéric Auclair, Conservation Architect (French, 10 sec): "There have been some impacts -- we sometimes find bullet marks from the last war on the spire -- and if water gets in, then it can swell up. But this means most of it can be cleaned off by the wind." Notre-Dame has changed with every new generation, but has always remained a crucial symbol of French heritage. Concerts and celebrations are planned all through 2013 for its 850th anniversary -- and admirers say there's no reason it won't keep going for another 850 years. SHOTLIST PARIS, Jan 2013 SOURCE: AFPTV -EXT GVs Notre-Dame facade -INT GVs vaulted ceilings -SOUNDBITE -GVs monitors and sound boards -SOUNDBITE -GVs on rooftops -SOUNDBITE -GVs gargoyles -GVs special mass held in cathedral -EXT GVs facade at night