Victor Hugo once said, “Great edifices, like great mountains, are the work of centuries.” This is certainly the case with Notre Dame de Paris. As the world is well aware, this past April flames engulfed our sacred cathedral, threatening to destroy it. As fate would have it, the cathedral stands intact. In tribute to this marvel of Gothic architecture recently celebrating 900-years, Kathy Borrus has just released a book featuring rarely seen photographs and stories from the past to the present day, even including an early map of Paris, with Notre Dame crowning the Île de la Cité.

Notre Dame de Paris: A Celebration of the Cathedral details the history and architecture of this landmark building while bringing to light its collection of priceless artifacts, the treasured Crown of Thorns among them.

“Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral…” -Robert Louis Stevenson

Discover the rich history of Notre Dame, from the coronation of Napoléon Bonaparte to World War II and beyond.

Book Notre Dame de Paris also details the legacy of the cathedral, with artists including Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso depicting Notre Dame in paintings. Cinema too played a role, as Victor Hugo’s classic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame provoked many a Hollywood film.

Within the pages of this collectors book for anyone with a deep affinity for Paris, I’ll allow you to discover for yourself why Notre Dame Cathedral is often considered an unofficial wonder of the world.