Notre Dame de Paris
18 November 2026 at 11:00:00
Winston Churchill Hall, Ruislip
Notre-Dame de Paris by Maximilien Luce, 1900 - detail
In December 2024, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris reopened after a devastating fire had threatened to destroy it five years earlier. A seemingly impossible target had been set by the French President to rebuild; yet huge sums of donated money and teams of expert restorers ensured the timescale was met. There had never been any doubt as to whether to restore or not; such is the power of this building in the psyche of the French people.
In this lecture our Speaker, Carole Petipher, explores the cultural significance of Notre-Dame through the ages and what makes it so special. Rather than looking into the fine details of its restoration, she will look at its key location, some of its most precious artefacts and, through images, consider some of the most significant events to have been staged inside the iconic silhouette.
Along the way, she will introduce a much-loved fictional character - Quasimodo, Hunchback of Notre-Dame - who was responsible for the cathedral’s salvation the first time it faced destruction.
Carole Petipher is an experienced guide and lecturer on combined history and art tours in France, with over 20 years experience. Having lived and worked on a number of bespoke river vessels and converted barges there, she has used them as a platform from which to research her lectures. She uses art in all its guises to explore the characters who shaped France, and likes to delve behind the scenes to discover hidden truths. She also acts as a Guide for a privately owned ancestral home in her native Chilterns.
Carole Petipher