Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame is a medieval Catholic cathedral that was built in 1163 on the ground where a temple to the Jupiter pre-existed. The cathedral is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Its sculptures, the rib vault and its huge rose windows make it unique.   Photo by Eduard Valdus exhibited at The Met 

Notre Dame de Paris is the Eclisethat as the name implies it is the place where people come together.  It is not only a widely recognized symbol of Paris but it is also part of the French national identity and the place where Victor Hugo’s novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame evolves.  It is the place where the French kings got married and where De Gaulle went to when he entered Paris after its liberation on August 24, 1944, while the bells of the churches around the city rang.

The April 15, 2019 fire started at the vault and the spire during work of restoration and renovation.  The cause of the fire is unknown and the event is currently under investigation.

The iconic spire also caught fire and fell making it the French equivalent of 9/11.  The major damage to such a unique religious and cultural monument is of enormous significance and has psychological repercussions not only in France, but Europe and the Christendom at large. 

The Notre Dame cathedral had been damaged several times in the past with a major damage in 1793 during the French Revolution when subsequently was used as a warehouse.   

In 1801 restoration work was started and in 1804 it was used for Napoleon’s coronation as an Emperor.  

On 26 August 1944 a special mass was held in the cathedral to celebrate the liberation of Paris; the Generals De Gaulle and Leclerc and other dignitaries attended it. Just as General de Gaulle was about to enter the Cathedral of Notre Dame, firing started all over the place. 

General de Gaulle walked straight ahead in what appeared to me to be a hail of fire from somewhere inside the cathedral. But he went straight ahead and walked right down the central aisle, even while the bullets were pouring around him. It was the most extraordinary example of courage that I’ve ever seen Bob Reid from the BBC reported. Photo from the Mussee de la Resistance en ligne. 

Artwork, relics, and other antiques stored at the cathedral include the crown of thorns which Jesus wore prior to his crucifixion and a piece of the cross on which he was crucified, a 13th-century organ, stained-glass windows, and bronze statues of the 12 apostles. 

Notre Dame as seen from the Quai de la Tournelle, by Jean-Francois Raffaelli (1897-1902).  In 1963, to mark the 800th anniversary of the Cathedral, the facade was cleaned to its original off-white color.  President Macron vowed to rebuilt Notre Dame in the next five years hopefully to coincide with the summer Olympics in Paris in 2024 and make it more beautiful than any time in the past.

Corsica - Καλλιστη

We reached Propriano in the late morning thrust by moderately strong winds.  Our attempt to enter the harbor by sails was stressful as we were not familiar with its layout.  My brother’s experience of reaching moorings under sail helped to a successful landing while avoiding causing damage to either the boat or injury to us. 

As soon as we found a berth in the marina and looked around it was obvious that Corsica is a beautiful island.  In addition to its beaches it has many mountains that occupy the central part of the island.  The Ancient Greeks knew and called Corsica Kalliste, that meant beautiful or the best.  In 260 BC Corsica together with Sardinia were incorporated into the Roman Republic.  Romans used it as a place to send their exiles with the most famous one being the philosopher Seneca.  In the 5^th century, Corsica experienced a massive immigration from Tuscany, that influenced its culture and the language spoken by the locals which is very close to Tuscany’s dialect although French is now days the lingua franca.

Wonderful villages like Olmeto are to be found on the mountains in the central part of the island that are characterized by their dense vegetation (maquis). Maquis shrubland is a biome in the Mediterranean region. The name has been adopted by a variety of guerrilla movements as the density of the bush provided protection.  It was in those inaccessible sites that bandits flourished and assisted in the promulgation of vendettas between families that lasted for several generations long after the cause that started them was forgotten. The vendetta was associated with the expectation for family members to take revenge and lasted until nobody remained to be killed.  The bandits d’ honneur were the protectors of the weak and the terror of the strong.  When vendettas were in their peak village activities ceased and families barricaded themselves in their homes for long periods of time.  

In Olmeto we observed a game played with metal balls the Italians call Bocce and the French Pétanque.  Although the game was developed in its present form in Italy its origins trace back to ball games played in Ancient Rome.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821) is the most famous son of Corsica.  He belonged to a relatively modest family of noble Italian ancestry from Tuscany.  Napoleon was one of the greatest commanders in history, and his campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide.  He won most of the wars he was involved in and the vast majority of his battles, rapidly gaining control of continental Europe before his ultimate defeat in 1815 at Waterloo.