Notre-Dame: A History
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4.3 • 8 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The "aged queen of French cathedrals," Victor Hugo called Notre-Dame. And ancient it was - nearly 700 years had passed since the Bishop Maurice de Sully decided that Paris needed a cathedral worthy of France's capital. "Every face, every stone of the venerable monument," Hugo continued, "is a page not only of the history of the country but also of the history of science and art." Here, National Book Award Winner Richard Winston tells the dramatic story of the building of the great cathedral and the history that was made there - from the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to the crowning of Napoleon to Charles de Gaulle's celebration of the liberation of Paris from the Nazis.
Customer Reviews
First Rate
Richard Winston won a National Book Award for his work and deservedly so. This book shows off his formidable talents as a historian.
I’ve read two other books by Winston - one on Charlemagne, the other on the Middle Ages - and this one is just as good as those two.
Winston’s subject here is Notre-Dame, the venerable Paris cathedral that has stood at the center of French life for centuries. He vividly chronicles the building of the cathedral - from its innovative flying buttresses to its magnificent stained-glass windows. But what I liked best about the book were his portraits of the men and women who made the church what it is today.
This book is for anyone who has been to Notre-Dame but also for those interested in medieval history. Fans of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth or World Without End will also enjoy this book.