Notre-Dame de Paris

Author: Hugo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: This series has the following characteristics:
1. Expert Introduction, Three-Point Test. The series invites foreign literature experts and professors to write introductions, clarifying the key points, difficulties, and knowledge points of the masterpieces, helping readers better understand them. The "Self-Assessment" at the end of the book lists review questions related to the masterpiece, catering to the learning needs of middle school students, facilitating better learning and revision for exams.
2. Abridgment. Written by foreign literature experts and professors, the series ensures the complete expression of the original essence while abridging overly lengthy and redundant chapters, enabling students to better and faster understand the masterpieces, save learning time, and achieve twice the result with half the effort.
3. Annotations. To help readers understand the difficulties of the masterpieces, the series invites experts and professors to provide detailed annotations on the foreign and Chinese literary schools, trends, historical events, historical figures, and geographical names mentioned in the works. These annotations not only facilitate students' reading and comprehension but also serve as references for teachers' lesson preparation.
Notre-Dame is located on the ?le de la Cité in the center of Paris, on the Seine River. It was built in 1163 and was decided upon by Maurice de Sully, the Archbishop of Paris. The entire church was completed in 1345, taking 180 years. Notre-Dame is a typical "Gothic" cathedral and is renowned worldwide as a landmark in European architectural history. The exterior facade of Notre-Dame has a unique style and strict structure, appearing grand and solemn. It is divided vertically into three sections by pilasters and horizontally into three parts by decorative bands. At the bottom, there are three recessed doorways. Above the doorways is the so-called "Gallery of Kings," featuring twenty-eight statues representing the kings of Israel and Judah. In 1793, during the French Revolution, the Parisians mistakenly identified them as the hated French kings and destroyed them. However, the statues were later restored and placed back in their original positions. Above the "Gallery of Kings" is the central section, with two massive stone rose windows on either side and a large circular rose window in the middle, with a diameter of about 10 meters, built between 1220 and 1225. The central statue depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, flanked by angelic statues on both sides. Adam and Eve are also depicted on the sides. The interior of the cathedral is extremely simple, with little decoration. The nave can accommodate 9,000 people, with 1,500 able to sit on the choir. The grand organ is also famous, with 6,000 pipes, producing a rich and resonant sound, particularly suitable for hymns and solemn music. Many significant ceremonies have been held here, such as the reading of the hymn of victory in World War II in 1945 and the funeral of General Charles de Gaulle, the President of France, in 1970.
Notre-Dame is a stone building and is hailed in the history of world architecture as a symphony composed of massive stones. Although it is a religious building, it shines with the wisdom of the French people and reflects their pursuit and longing for a better life.