Visit the Hidden Paris

13/04/2024

Dear Readers,

This post will provide a brief update on the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. It had been hoped that repairs would be far enough along to celebrate Easter Mass in the Cathedral, but sadly this did not come to pass. Instead the rector and chaplains celebrated Easter in St-Germain-l'Auxerrois, just behind the Louvre.

But the good news is that the spire is at last in place, hovering over Paris. The steeple is made of oak, and workers are now covering it with lead panels to protect it from the elements. You can watch a short video on the spire here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqndS9__DeQ

Both inside & outside the building, reconstruction is progressing. Statues are being repaired and placed back on the roof, the 24 chapels have been meticulously cleaned & repainted, the walls have been sanded to remove centuries of grime and are now a pale yellow, their original color. The stained glass windows have been cleaned for the first time since they were installed in the 13th Century, their luster & color brighter than ever. The organ & its 8000 pipes were thoroughly cleaned to remove the lead dust from the fire, and the instrument is now being reassembled. It will be tuned later this year once it is fully in place.

Most significantly, the wooden framework known as the Forest, has at last been finished (see photo). Twelve hundred trees contributed to the reconstruction of the framework, the same as in 1196. They were trimmed and shaped using medieval tools, to maintain tradition. The trees have been replanted to ensure the integrity of the forests where they were grown.

This video will provide a full update on the various elements of the reconstruction process - the artisans & laborers assigned to the project are working 24/7 to reopen the cathedral to the public by December 8th, the date that is now planned as the official "relaunch" of Notre Dame Cathedral.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDVJX8r8AOU

If you come to Paris, don't hesitate to contact me for a tour of the Cathedral - from the outside of course :). Or perhaps you would like to take one of my other tours - feel free to browse & find the tour you like on www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com, my website. I hope to see you soon in Paris !

01/03/2024

Dear Readers,

I have been out of touch for a while and I apologize. I wanted to share a link which might be of interest to anyone who would like to know more about the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris.

A MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on the subject of the cathedral is now available, free of charge, in English. Learn about the cathedral's rich history & archiecture with this course.

Click here https://mooc-culturels.fondationorange.com/enrol/synopsis/index.php?id=387
and enjoy !

It was a close call for Notre-Dame: it could have been destroyed by fire, sharing the fate of many other prestigious buildings over the centuries. The fire 2019 is only the latest of a list of perils to have threatened Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral throughout its history. With just a few months to g...

04/06/2023

Dear Readers,

Today’s post will provide an update on the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It was recently announced that the church will be opened to visitors at the end of 2024, although construction will not be complete until 2025. The official date provided by the cathedral is the 8th of December, 2024.

However, on Easter (April 15, 2024), exactly 5 years after the fire, a ceremony is planned inside the cathedral, for a Te Deum. For its Easter celebration, the chaplains of Notre Dame celebrated mass in the open, on the esplanade in front of the cathedral.

After two years of work to simply stabilize the structure, the church is finally sufficiently secure to start rebuilding it. The windows are being cleaned, the organ is being retuned, the statues and sculptures are being refitted. The iconic spire, which collapsed in the fire and left enormous holes in the vaulted ceiling, is currently being rebuilt. We should start seeing its silhouette rising above the building in the course of 2023. The architect in charge of the project, Philippe Villeneuve, is using the drawings and specifications created by the 19th Century architect Viollet-le-Duc, who reconstructed the spire in the 1840s.

Every aspect of the cathedral is being restored identically to its original appearance, using traditional methods and materials. The area surrounding the church is also being replanned. A green project is being developed for completion by 2027.

A new exhibit in the cathedral’s crypt showcases the restoration works and provides visitors with an update on the building’s current status. The work of restorers, artists, sculptors, carpenters and all the expert artisans involved in the project, can be viewed.

The crypt is located on the esplanade just in front of the cathedral. If you’d like to read more, check out this video from 60 Minutes :

Follow Notre Dame reconstruction progress, restoration progress, rebuild status, repairs, repair progress, news of Notre Dame today and Notre Dame updates

14/05/2023

Good morning !

Today I would like to discuss the symbolism behind Gothic architecture. Medieval builders sought to create churches that were functional, beautiful but also filled with religious symbolism. Gothic church decors symbolized Man’s spiritual journey to find God.

Gothic churches were constructed with high ceilings supported by tall pillars. These elements draw the eye upwards, towards God and his sacred light. These architectural elements are meant to remind the visitor of their spiritual journey. The high ceilings were made to resemble the vaults of heaven, using paint and stone. See the photos, which illustrate these insights;

Statues, paintings, windows….the art & architecture in a Gothic church served to teach the faithful. Stained glass windows illustrated the Bible - as in the Sainte Chapelle, where each window represents a book of the Bible, and each pane a chapter from that book.

The façades themselves were richly sculpted with statues of saints, angels and Biblical figures, stone “textbooks” to educate the public, who were mostly illiterate. Doorways were given particularly rich decors, metaphors for the gates of heaven. Statues of Saints form pillars holding up the doorways – they serve as emblems for
the role of Saints as pillars of the church.

In an era when few could read, Gothic architects reinvented the Church as “a Bible in stone”. Their goal was to educate the community and reveal the Divine through art and architecture. And their new architectural style was specifically developed to achieve this goal.

Armed with these insights, join me in an exploration of Gothic architecture in Paris - come on one of my walking tours to see the Gothic churches up close. You can schedule a tour on www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com. While Notre Dame, the iconic Gothic church, is undergoing renovations, there are other beautiful Gothic churches to be visited. See you soon !

23/04/2023

Greetings Dear Readers,

And my deepest apologies for the long absence – I have been giving tours, traveling, writing new material, so busy !! But today I have made the time to write – and today’s subject is Gothic Architecture.

Why ? Because Notre Dame is currently under renovation, and it is considered by many to be the epitome of medieval Gothic architecture.

Gothic was a style of architecture that flourished in the late Middle Ages. It represented a significant break with the past, when Romanesque architecture dominated. While Romanesque churches were dark and heavy, Gothic churches were built to be light and airy.

It was not just about the architecture itself, the goal of the Gothic builders was symbolic – to bring God’s light into the ,church, to illuminate the congregants.
The two distinguishing attributes of Gothic Architecture are height and light. Height was symbolic of reaching for the heavens, to come closer to God both physically and spiritually. With greater height came more light – light being the word of God, a light that purifies and enlightens.

To bring God’s light into the church, high walls with vast windows were needed…windows of stained glass that captured the beauty of God’s light. In previous posts I have explained how the Gothic builders achieved their goal, through the use of new technologies such as the pointed arch, ribbed vaulting and flying buttresses.

In my next post, I will discuss the symbolism of Gothic architecture in greater depth. Please join me if you are coming to Paris and experience Gothic architecture first-hand, on my walking tour of Paris. You can sign up on my website at www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com or by contacting me through Facebook.

01/02/2023

Greetings to my readers !

In my last post, I explained that Gothic churches were constructed by a team of experts led by a Master Builder. This man was trained in construction and masonry, as well as theological subjects. His job was to draft the plans for the church, calculate the dimensions for each element, and oversee the construction project - a combination of architect and foreman.

Once the outline plans for the church were approved, the Master Builder would calculate the precise dimensions of each element of the building using geometry, then considered the "sacred language of the universe". For example, the tip of an equilateral triangle was used to determine the height of the nave. Its base established the width of the building. Simple mathematical ratios were used to calculate the dimensions of each element. Geometric forms determined the shape of the towers, the windows, the doors... The entire structure is, in fact, an assemblage of geometric shapes and forms !

The Master Builder drafted precise plans with his exact measurements for the workers to follow. For large projects, scale models were used. He supervised a team of artisans and skilled laborers who executed his plans. Medieval builders used simple tools such as the compass, the ruler, the hammer and pick. Planes and levels were used to ensure straight edges.

Scaffolding provided workers with access to the upper levels. Primitive cranes, operated by treadmill, lifted material to the roof. Pulleys and winches were used to move heavy objects around the worksite and to haul stones to the upper levels of the construction project.

We hope you found these posts informative ! If you are interested in seeing some of the city's fabulous Gothic churches, feel free to contact me via my website www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com or drop me a note here on this page.

28/12/2022

In our last post, we explained that in the 12th Century the Bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, decided to build a large cathedral for the city of Paris. He wanted his church to be different, to be built in the new Gothic style.

Gothic architecture represented a significant break with the past. Since Antiquity and throughout the Dark Ages, from time of the Roman Empire up to the 12th Century, churches were built with the same features - ones that were created by the Romans.

The architecture of this period, known as Romanesque, is characterized by the use of rounded arches. Churches had few windows, and were built as solid, squat structures with a single portal or doorway. They had square towers and heavy buttresses to reinforce the structure.

Gothic architecture innovated by changing these elements - the rounded arches were replaced by more graceful pointed ones that provided greater weight-bearing capacity. Church walls were broken down to provide space for vast windows of stained glass. Squat towers were transformed into soaring spires. Heavy columns became delicately carved flying buttresses. Rose windows and gargoyles were added to enhance the decors.

The three elements which define Gothic architecture are the pointed arch, ribbed vaulting and the flying buttress. Inspired by the innovative architectural elements they saw at the Cathedral of Saint Denis, the builders of Notre-Dame constructed what is today the most iconic example of Gothic architecture.

The main innovation of Gothic architecture was the introduction of the pointed arch, replacing the rounded arch. With the round arch, weight is distributed outward, horizontally, requiring strong walls for support. The pointed arch distributes its weight downward, vertically, and therefore does not require strong walls. In fact, a pointed arch can rest on pillars, rather than walls, thus the walls were no longer needed to provide support for the entire building - pillars could share the weight.

This freed the Gothic architects to construct taller buildings with thinner walls that could accommodate vast stained-glass windows and flood the church with light. But as the churches grew taller, their weight increased, creating greater pressure on the walls. To resolve this, medieval architects created a new architectural element based on the pointed arch: the rib-vaulted ceiling.

Pointed arches form the ribs of the vaulted ceiling. Each of the 4 ribs in the arch rests on a pillar, channeling weight downwards and relieving the pressure on the walls. The ribbed vault could support greater weight than the old Romanesque barrel vault, allowing for taller naves. Without the use of the ribbed vault, the weight of a Gothic church would push the church walls outwards and cause damage. The new Gothic churches could be built to far greater heights.

Gothic architects began building churches as tall as possible - the race was on to build the highest. But as churches grew in height, architects perceived that more support was needed for the tall naves. The flying buttress was introduced to support the nave at the top, from the outside. It carries significant weight, adding support to the walls and roof and increasing the structural strength of the building.

The first church to combine all of these innovative elements was the Cathedral of Saint-Denis. For an informative overview of the building's construction, watch this interesting video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hijg5XG6yg8

To see either church in person, and learn more about Gothic architecture, feel free to contact me via my website www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com to schedule a tour.

30/07/2022

Today's post is about Henry Miller (1891-1980), another Lost Generation author. Miller came to Paris in 1930 with a trunk full of novels that nobody wanted to publish. He was 38 and broke, but still trying to write that "one, great novel".

He was penniless, homeless and hungry but happy to be in Paris despite his poverty. He wrote that in Paris..."the streets sing, the stones talk, the houses drip history, glory, romance…”

Back in NY, Miller’s wife June was a “Broadway taxi dancer”. She supported him by dancing with men in a ballroom on Times Square, while he
struggled as an author. In 1931 she joined him in Paris and several months later, the couple met Anaïs Nin, a Franco-Cuban writer (1903-1977). The three began a passionate affair & formed a love triangle.

Nin kept a journal in which she wrote about her erotic adventures with the Millers. The diary was published posthumously as a novel in 1986, entitled "Henry & June". The novel formed the basis for the 1990 movie "Henry & June" starring Uma Thurman.

In her diary Nin wrote of their first meeting. “I saw a man I liked. In his writing he is flamboyant, virile, animal, magnificent. He is a man whom life
makes drunk. I thought he is like me...here is a man I could love.”

June returned to NY after 2 months, leaving Henry and Nin together in Paris. Supported by Nin, Miller wrote his famous novel, "The Tropic of Cancer". The book is a semi-autobiographical tale featuring a starving American writer who lives a bohemian life among prostitutes, pimps and artists. Banned in the US & UK for more than 30 years as pornographic, the book was printed in France and smuggled into other countries. When the book was finally published in the US in 1961, it led to more than 60 obscenity trials until a historic ruling by the Supreme Court defined it as a work of literature.

When World War 2 broke out in 1939, both Miller and Nin left Paris. Returning to the US, Miller went on to publish numerous novels and short stories. Nin went on to become a friend, and in some cases a lover, of authors such as John Steinbeck, Edmund Wilson, Gore Vidal, James Agee and Lawrence Durrell. She wrote several short stories and novels known for their explicit descriptions of female sexuality. Miller and Nin began a literary correspondence that lasted for many years, exchanging passionate love letters that were later published in book form.

With his work banned, Miller spent years living in poverty – unrecognized and rejected by literary critics. George Orwell was one of the first to publicly acknowledge his work – they met in Paris in 1936 – Orwell later wrote, “Miller is a writer out of the ordinary, worth more than a single glance…he is a completely negative, unconstructive, amoral writer…” Miller acquired a sulfurous underground reputation. Both his lifestyle, and explicit writing, inspired the Beat Generation of the 1950s.

If you enjoyed this post, come join me on one of my Lost Generation tours here in Paris. Feel free to learn more on my website, where you can also sign up for a tour (www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com)

04/07/2022

Today's post is about another great American author, John Steinbeck. He came to Paris several times in the 1920s and hung out with his Lost Generation pals in Montparnasse. He partied in all the hot jazz clubs and speakeasies in Montmartre and Pigalle. On one drunken binge he managed to get himself thrown out of the city’s most popular Jazz club, Bricktop’s. By way of apology, he sent the owner of the nightclub a taxi-cab filled with roses.

By 1930 Steinbeck was back in California, struggling to make a living during the Great Depression. Living on welfare and hand-outs from his parents, he was inspired to write about the plight of the poor. He wrote a series of books known as the Dust Bowl novels, stories about migrant farm workers who escaped from the misery of the drought in the Midwest.
The Dust Bowl exodus was the largest migration in American history - by 1940, 2.5 million people had left the Midwest.

Steinbeck’s writing style was straightforward and deceptively simple – he wrote with language that his characters would use. The most famous of his Dust Bowl novels was The Grapes of Wrath, which earned him the Pulitzer Prize in 1940
It was the best-selling book in America in 1936 – it sold 430,000 copies in the first 6 months.

In WW2, Steinbeck accompanied the US Army on both the Eastern Front & in North Africa, reporting for several newspapers. He was embedded with the Beach Jumpers, a commando unit led by Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
During a raid on Capri, Steinbeck helped Fairbank’s unit capture prisoners, brandishing a Tommy Gun. He was later wounded by shrapnel from
a munitions explosion and returned to the US.

Steinbeck wrote two books based on his experiences in WW2. The Moon is Down, about the military occupation of a small town in Northern Europe, was made into a film almost immediately after publication. Steinbeck was awarded the Norwegian Freedom Cross in 1943.

In the 1950s Steinbeck traveled frequently to Paris, which he viewed “with an eye of delight”. He took a flat on the avenue de Marigny for several months in 1954. Le Figaro commissioned him to write a series of 17 short stories, which they translated into French. The stories are humorous pieces that show
a different side to the author of serious novels such as Cannery Row.

One piece, “Fishing In Paris”,
was a humorous comparison of fishing practices in America, England & France. Steinbeck theorized that the different ways of fishing in each country reflected the
national character. Some of the stories were reprinted in Punch Magazine (1954) but others were lost.

In 2019 one of the lost articles was rediscovered and published in Strand Magazine. The Amiable Fleas” is a whimsical
tale set in a Parisian restaurant. The chef, Monsieur Amité, has a cat named Apollo who samples the sauces and provides his approval. The story relates their adventures when the chef tries to win a 2nd Michelin star.

If you enjoyed reading this post, perhaps you might like to join oneyof my Lost Generation Tours on your next trip to Paris. Feel free to consult my website www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com where you will find my contact details.

03/01/2022

Few people know that the author Edna St. Vincent Millay spent a year in Paris in 1921 as a writer for Vanity Fair Magazine.

Millay first settled in Greenwich Village after graduating from Vassar College in 1917, when she published her first book "A Few Figs from Thistles". The book made her the talk of the town due to its overt references to female sexuality. She quickly earned a reputation in literary circles for her bohemian lifestyle – taking lovers both male & female and partying madly. One of her most famous poems became the anthem of the flappers & party girls of the 1920s Jazz age. It is entitled "First Fig", and this is the poem's most well-known excerpt :

"My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes; and oh, my friends --
It gives a lovely light !"

Millay arrived in Paris in 1931 and settled into a flat in St. Germain des Prés. She dove headlong into Paris nightlife, and befriended artists such as Brancusi & Man Ray. She sat for a photo by Man Ray (see last photo). She also had very public affairs with well-known men & women, and in a moment of regret (perhaps?) she was inspired to write a moving poem entitled "Paris, April 1, 1922".

"A mile of clean sand.
I will write my name here, and the trouble that is in my heart.
I will write the name and place of my birth.
What I was to be,
And what I am.
I will write my forty sins, my thousand follies,
My four unspeakable acts....
I will write the names of the cities I have fled from,
The names of the men & women I have wronged,
I will write the holy name of her I serve,
And how I serve her ill.
And I will sit on the beach and let the tide come in.
I will watch with peace the great calm tongue of the tide
Licking from the sand the unclean story of my heart."

Millay returned to NYC in 1922 and wrote "The Ballad of the Harp Weaver", a moving poem about the bond between mother & child. In 1923 she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer prize in poetry.

Sadly she became addicted to morphine later in life after a serious car accident left her a partial invalid. Her work and her reputation suffered. She died at the age of 58 having suffered a hear attack and fallen down the stairs of her home. But her legacy lives on today as an early feminist and a woman unafraid to express her innermost feelings in heartfelt, beautifully written poetry.

Should you be interested in learning more about the numerous authors & artists who lived in Paris in the 1920s & 1930s, please join me on my Lost Generation tour. You can find out more and sign up on my website, at www.VisitTheHiddenParis;com. Happy reading !

19/12/2021

I recently wrote a post about Sinclair Lewis, in the context of writers who came to Paris during the 1920s and 30s. Beyond the famed Lost Generation authors such as Hemingway, there were many American writers who visited Paris, coming for short stays to absorb the city's famed literary atmosphere. Today's post will continue that saga.

Another such author was EE Cummings (or should I write ee cummings). Recruited from Harvard University as an ambulance driver, he arrived in France in 1917. Along with fellow Harvard grad, William Slater Brown, the two men drove an ambulance for the Red Cross, helping transport wounded soldiers from the front to field hospitals. The work took Cummings to the front lines, where he witnessed the horrors of war first hand, horrified by the bloodshed and seemingly senseless loss of life.

Both Cummings and Brown wrote numerous letters to their families back home, describing their experiences and expressing criticism of the war and the way it was being managed by the French Army. They were arrested by the French military for treasonable correspondence and spent three months in a military detention camp, imprisoned with hardened criminals and war deserters. Cummings was released only after his father, Reverend Cummings, petitioned President Wilson. Returning home from his ordeal, Cummings' father advised his son to reflect on his ordeal.

His experience in jail provided the inspiration for “The Enormous Room”, written in prose as a journal of his imprisonment. Published in 1922, the novel is considered by many to be the most powerful story of WW1. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “Of all the work by young men who have sprung up since 1920 one book survives— The Enormous Room by EE Cummings... Those few who cause books to live have not been able to endure the thought of its mortality."

Despite his experience during the war, Cummings fell in love with France and returned to Paris in 1921. He lived in St Germain for two years, falling in love, partying with fellow authors, writing poetry and honing his style. After returning to the US in 1923 he published his 1st major collection of poems “Tulips and Chimneys”. He went on to publish roughly 2900 poems, 2 novels, 4 plays and several essays during his career. Cummings became one of the leading avant-garde poets of his generation. His work is known for his radical experimentation with punctuation, spelling and syntax, and the consistent use of lower-case lettering. By the time of his death in 1962, Cummings was recognized as the 2nd most read poet in the United States after Robert Frost.

I enclose amongst the photos one of his poems about Paris, this april sunset. It is a beautifully written ode to Paris in the Spring. Should you like to learn more, please join me on my Lost Generation tour. You will discover the places where the Lost Generation writers lived and partied, and along the way hear about their lives, their loves, their work. It's a great walking tour of Paris and lasts about 2.5 hours. Contact me at www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com to book a tour. See you soon !

10/12/2021

Today I will begin a series of posts on American writers who lived & worked in Paris. Many know of the famous "Lost Generation", a group of young authors who emigrated to Paris in the 1920s & 1930s to write. Most of them ended up partying, but some also published - Hemingway, Dos Passos, Fitzgerald, Stein, among others. Aside from the main writers in this group, there were a number of authors who stayed in the city for a short while. Many of them were inspired by the atmosphere of arts & culture in Paris.

Take Sinclair Lewis, for example. He lived in Paris in 1923, settling in the Montparnasse district.
This was an area where many of the Lost Generation authors were living in cheap, cold water flats. However, unlike the aspiring writers he encountered here, Lewis was a successful author. He had already published two novels, Main Street and Babbit, both about life in small town America.

Much like the writers & artists who came to Paris in the 1920s, Lewis imbibed freely in the numerous bars & cafés of Paris. After all, Prohibition was in full swing back home. Here the expats could party as much as they wanted.

Lewis earned a reputation for heavy drinking and carousing. On one bender he got so drunk that he began boasting of his writing skills, claiming that he was a better writer than French authors such as Flaubert. Someone shouted, “Aw, sit down, you're just a best seller!" Lewis was devasted.

After a short stay in Paris, Lewis returned home to the US; He went on to publish 10 more novels, including classics such as Elmer Gantry, as well as numerous short stories. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930, the 1st American to win the award.

If any of my readers would like to hear more, I offer 3 different literary tours of Paris. The Lost Generation, Hemingway's Haunts, and Gatsby & Zelda. Sign up on your next trip to the city at www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com or contact me via Facebook. A bientôt !

25/09/2021

Continuing with our exploration of the 3rd arrondissement, the Arts & Métiers district, we will visit some of the oldest streets in the area.

The rue au Maire, created in 1280, was originally a street that followed the outer edges of the fortified Abbey walls. The street forms one part of the oldest Asian quarter of Paris, along with the rue du Temple & the rue du Gravilliers. This zone delineates the city's first Chinatown, whose residents originally hailed from Wenzhou. The neighborhood is dotted with wholesale import/export shops featuring products from China, such as leather goods, fabrics, jewelry, etc.

The rue Volta, within the old Chinatown, dates from 1360 and formed part of the route leading from Paris to the city of Meaux. Today it features a charming half-timbered building, long thought to be the oldest in the city. Located at #3 on the rue Volta, the building dates from roughly 1650, and is currently occupied by a Vietnamese restaurant.

Further up the street, at #37 is a small local theatre, the Theatre of the Marais. The building has been home to a variety of theatres, dating back to 1634. The 1st theatre on this location, also called the Theatre of the Marais, featured light farces & works by authors such as Corneille, who premiered his play Le Cid in 1637. It was one of the first theatres to use machinery to move sets into place. Today's Theatre of the Marais carries on this tradition, offering light comedy& one-man/woman shows.

Just around the corner, at #57 one the rue Turbigo, is a building whose façade features an unusual statue. Known as a cariatide (a sculpture of a female that replaces a column or pillar), the statue is 3 stories high and represents an angel. Very little is known about the statue, only that it was created by the artist Auguste-Emile Delange in 1851.

If you'd like to see more of the city please feel free to look me up on your next visit to Paris, or to visit my website at www.VisitTheHiddenParis.com.