Victor Hugo

Synopsis
Victor Hugo was born on February 26, 1802, in Besanon, France. After training as a lawyer,
Hugo embarked on the literary career. He became one of the most important French Romantic
poets, novelists and dramatists of his time, having assembled a massive body of work while
living in Paris, Brussels and the Channel Islands. Hugo died on May 22, 1885, in Paris.

Early Life
Victor-Marie Hugo was born in Besanon, France, on February 26, 1802, to mother Sophie
Trbuche and father Joseph-Lopold-Sigisbert Hugo. His father was a military officer who later
served as a general under Napoleon.

Literary Career
Victor Hugo studied law between 1815 and 1818, though he never committed himself to legal
practice. Encouraged by his mother, Hugo embarked on a career in literature. He founded
the Conservateur Litteraire, a journal in which he published his own poetry and the work of his
friends. His mother died in 1821. The same year, Hugo married Adle Foucher and published his
first book of poetry, Odes et posies diverses. His first novel was published in 1823, followed by
a number of plays.
Hugo's innovative brand of Romanticism developed over the first decade of his career.
In 1831, he published one of his most enduring works, Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of
Notre Dame). Set in the medieval period, the novel presents a harsh criticism of the society that
degrades and shuns the hunchback Quasimodo. This was Hugo's most celebrated work to date,
and paved the way for his subsequent political writing.
A prolific writer, Hugo was established as one of the most celebrated literary figures in France by
the 1840s. In 1841, he was elected to the French Academy and nominated for the Chamber of
Peers. He stepped back from publishing his work following the accidental drowning of his
daughter and her husband in 1843. In private, he began work on a piece of writing that would
become Les Misrables.
Hugo fled to Brussels following a coup in 1851. He lived in Brussels and in Britain until his
return to France in 1870. Much of the work that Hugo published during this period conveys
biting sarcasm and fierce social criticism. Among these works is the novel Les Misrables, was
finally published in 1862. The book was an immediate success in Europe and the United States.

Later reinterpreted as a theatrical musical and a film,Les Misrables remains one of the bestknown works of 19th century literature.

Later Life
Though Hugo returned to France after 1870 as a symbol of republican triumph, his later years
were largely sad. He lost two sons between 1871 and 1873. His later works are somewhat darker
than his earlier writing, focusing on themes of God, Satan and death.
In 1878, he was stricken with cerebral congestion. Hugo and his mistress, Juliette, continued to
live in Paris for the rest of their lives. The street on which he lived was renamed Avenue Victor
Hugo on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 1882. Juliette died the following year and Victor
Hugo died in Paris on May 22, 1885. He received a hero's funeral. His body lay in state beneath
the Arc de Triomphe before burial in the Panthon.
Hugo remains one of the giants of French literature. Although French audiences celebrate him
primarily as a poet, he is better known as a novelist in English-speaking countries.
Notre Dame
Tatlong beautiful rosas bintana, na orihinal constructed sa ika-13 siglo, ay isa sa Notre Dame
Cathedral's pinaka aaresto katangian. Ang isang regalo mula sa King Saint Louis, ang South Rose
Window ay halos 19 metro sa taas at may 84 pane. Ang bantog na gargoyles ay isa pang kahanga
tampok ng Notre Dame Cathedral. Ang ilang mga pagganap, magsilbi bilang tubo alisan ng tubig
upang patuluin tubig-ulan off bubungan ang mga iba ay lamang pandekorasyon, pagsunod sa
magbantay sa ang lungsod mula sa nasa ibabaw ng Katedral ng towers.
Dahil sa kanyang makasaysayang kahalagahan, arkitektura kahusayan at napakaganda
kagandahan, ang Notre Dame Cathedral ay isang dapat-makita ang paningin sa Paris. Kapag ako
iniwan sa Katedral, gabi ay bumagsak. Ang harapan at ng mga moog ay iluminado, ang paglikha ng
isang kumikinang na silweta laban sa kadiliman. Hindi ko isipin ito ay maaari, ngunit Notre Dame
Cathedral ay kahit na mas maganda sa pamamagitan ng liwanag ng langit na gabi.
One of the most notable monuments in Paris (and in all of Europe for that matter) is the Notre Dame
Cathedral. This Catholic treasure is over 800 years old. It is located on a small island called the Ile de la
Cite in the middle of river Seine. The building of the cathedral was completed over the course of 200
years; it was started in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII and was completed in 1345.
As is the case with most notable historical monuments, The Notre dame Cathedral Paris has its own
share of both the glorious and the tragic historical moments that will forever remain indelible in the mind of
people everywhere. Among them is the crowning of Henry VI of England right inside the cathedral in
1431. The Cathedral was at one time in a stage of total disrepair and close to the point of being
demolished, but was later saved by Napoleon who himself was crowned Emperor in 1804 inside the
Cathedral.

After restoring the Cathedral back to its formal beauty and in the midst of World War II, it was rumoured
that the German soldiers might destroy the newly installed stained glass. It was therefore removed and
only reinstalled again after the war had ended. The steps were taken because of only one particular
archeological glass window called the Rose window which is supposed to be the biggest glass window in
the world produced in the 13th century.
Discussing the history of the Notre Dame Cathedral Paris would not be complete without discussing the
most famous story of the peasant girl, Joan of Arc, who is well documented in the history books of France.
She was very brave and claimed that she had visions from God. This poor girl had spiritual and character
richness even though she had no material goods. Through her visions and courage, she helped France in
the battles against the English troops. While using the wise military tactics of Joan of Arc, the well known
heroine, France won many fights against England. She also was a great supporter of the monarchy; she
is indirectly the reason why Charles VII was crowned. However, Joan of Arc was captured by the
Burundians, accused of heresy and tragically, she was burned at the stake. But this was not the end of
the brave girl. On the 7 July 1456, Joan of Arc was declared innocent and a martyr. In 1909 she was
beatified in the famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris by Pope Pius X.
Notre Dame Cathedral which can also be called our lady is still in use today by the Roman Catholic
Church for Sunday mass and it is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. A notable and distinct historical
artefact which is very
popular today is the famous bell that has been redesigned to ring automatically. Any visitor to the bell
tower should be prepared to climb the 140 steps staircase, if desirous of seeing the historical bell or have
a glimpse of the city of Paris.
Also inside the Notre Dame Cathedral, among so many historical artefacts, is the notable 17th century
organ with all of its parts still functional. There are also drawings, plans and engravings which showed the
old and hidden mysteries of several of the church developments and how the city of Paris came into
being.
Notre-Dame de Paris is very old, over 800 years old!
Appointed bishop of Paris in 1160, Maurice de Sully decided to give the capital a cathedral worthy of
Frances largest city. He wanted to build it in the style of the day, now known as the gothic style.King
Louis VII, one of his classmates, encouraged the project. The Church, notable residents of the city,
and the entire population participated in construction: some offered money, others offered their
labour, while others offered their knowledge. Construction began in 1163, and Notre-Dame would be
completed some 100 years later, in 1272. During this time, many craftsmens guilds (tailors, sculptors,
carpenters, joiners, masons, and glassblowers) worked relentlessly under the supervision of seasoned
architects. They all made an equal contribution to God and to Mary.
Mary, Mother of God, to whom Maurice wanted to dedicated the entire cathedral, it was dedicated to her,
Notre-Dame de Paris, Our Lady of Paris! At the cathedral, there are no fewer than 37 representations of
the Virgin (sculptures, paintings, stained glass, and more).
Since it was built, the cathedral has been one of the main symbols of Paris and of France. It has
been stage to major religious and political events, which is why the historian Michelet said that NotreDame is a history book in its own right. We could not list all the major events here. We would need pages
and pages! We will still mention the following facts:
when the cathedral wasnt even completed, in the late 13th century, the Parisians watched over the body
of the King, Saint Louis, who died in Tunis;
it is here that King Philip the Fair opened the first Estates General of the Kingdom of France in 1302;
in 1572, it was here that King Henry IV married Marguerite de Valois, and where he converted to
Catholicism in 1594;
it is where Pope Pius VII crowned Napoleon I Emperor of the French in 1804;
it was also at Notre-Dame that the Te Deum was sung at the end of the First and Second World Wars;
Pope John Paul II came to the cathedral twice: in 1980 and in 1997 for World Youth Day.
More recently, in 2005, tens of thousands of believers and followers came to Notre-Dame to pray when
Pope John Paul II died and to wait for the nomination of the new head of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI.