One architect, attracted to the picturesque history on view in Hugo’s novel, would ultimately heed his call. Hugo hoped that his novel might spur the building’s rebirth, allowing it to renew France’s ethical core during the Industrial Revolution.

He believed that back then, the cathedral was able to inspire the masses and guide them toward a life of devotion and morality. Like other Romanticist writers and artists, Hugo imagined the Middle Ages as a simpler time, an era when society was governed by pure faith. He continues, “The book will destroy the edifice.” “Alas! This will kill that,” he laments, directing his finger to the cathedral looming magisterially outside his window. In one of the book’s most famous moments, the archdeacon Frollo points sadly to a printed book on his table.

In the novel, Hugo lamented that the printing press had supplanted architecture as the primary communicator of civilization’s cherished values. Set in the 15th century, the novel alluringly evoked a different period in French history.

Only the great bells avoided being melted down, and the church interior was used as a warehouse for the storage of food. Because of that - since medieval times - they have been thought to frighten off and keep demons and evil forces away from the walls of the church, protecting the churchgoers from any harmful spirits.Īnother idea is that the gargoyles are believed to have a purifying role, as they keep the unclean water and wastewater away.During the French Revolution, many of the treasures of the cathedral were either destroyed or plundered. Inspired by fantastic bestiaries, they’re often quite frightening looking. The more interesting part of the gargoyles could be their symbolic meaning. The main purpose of the gargoyles is actually quite practical: They serve to drain rainwater so that the stone is protected from damage caused by excessive runoff, according to PARISCityVISION. The mythical creatures, which were added to the church during reconstruction in the 1840s, have served as an essential part of the building, but do you know why they're there or what they stand for? It turns out their role is somewhat multifunctional. If you’ve ever visited Notre Dame or even seen pictures, it’s hard not to notice the gargoyle sculptures that sit atop the cathedral.

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