Notre-Dame at heart of French culture for centuries

“This is the place where we have lived all of our great moments, the epicentre of our lives. It is the cathedral of all the French.”

So declared President Macron, attempting to put into words the huge importance of Notre-Dame, not just as historical monument but as the very symbol of a nation.

From art and literature to contemporary film, the cathedral which Victor Hugo called a “vast symphony in stone” has been at the heart of French culture for centuries.