Étienne Carjat · Public domain
19th century · 1802–1885
Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo · France
French Romantic writer
A leading figure of French Romantic literature, best known for the novels Notre-Dame de Paris (1831) and Les Misérables (1862). A royalist in his youth, he later became a republican and went into exile for his politics, living on Guernsey for 15 years. He opposed the death penalty and slavery. When he died in 1885 he was given a state funeral, followed by more than two million people, and was buried in the Panthéon.
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History · Notre-Dame de Paris
A novel that saved a cathedral
During the French Revolution Notre-Dame was badly desecrated, with many religious statues destroyed. In 1831 Victor Hugo published his novel 'Notre-Dame de Paris', drawing public attention to the dilapidated cathedral and prompting the major restoration led by the architect Viollet-le-Duc from 1844 to 1864.
