PARIS (AP) — Notre Dame Cathedral, which is set to reopen to the public on Sunday after a five-year restoration following a devastating fire, stands as a jewel of Gothic architecture, a symbol of Paris and a tourist mecca.
But behind the grandeur of the cathedral, which took 182 years to build between the 12th and 14th centuries, lie some surprising stories. From medieval myths to modern-day mysteries, here are five special things to know about this Paris landmark:
Notre Dame’s importance goes beyond its architecture and history — it’s literally the point from which all roads in France begin.
In front of the cathedral, embedded in the cobblestones, lies a modest bronze-and-stone slab with the inscription “point zéro des routes de France,” meaning “starting point of the roads of France.'' This plaque marks the starting point for measuring distances between Paris and other cities across the country.
While the plaque was installed in 1924, the idea of a national “ground zero” dates to 1769. King Louis XV envisioned a central reference for France’s growing network of roads, a concept that tied the nation’s geography to its heart in Paris.
Those scary stone creatures on Notre Dame might seem ancient, but not all of them are what they appear. The actual gargoyles, which are monster-shaped gutters used to drain rainwater, have been around since the time of the cathedral’s construction. But the dramatic, monster-like figures often depicted on postcards and movies are chimera, and they’re much newer.
In the 19th century, the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who was in charge of renovating the then-decaying building, added these creatures to add to the mystique of the cathedral. Viollet-le-Duc drew inspiration from Victor Hugo’s famous book ‘’The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' to create these demonic animal figures with personified expressions.
How to tell them apart? Gargoyles resemble horizontal spikes coming out of the facade and have holes in their spouts to allow water to drain.
During the French Revolution, which saw waves of protest against the Church, Notre Dame wasn’t exactly treated like a revered cathedral. In 1793, revolutionaries stripped it of its religious symbols and renamed it “Notre-Dame de la Raison” (Our Lady of Reason).
Instead, the cathedral hosted festivals celebrating science and Enlightenment ideas, and for a short time, it was even used as a wine warehouse.
Religious services resumed in 1795, and Notre Dame regained its sacred status on the impulse of French emperor Napoleon I, who held his coronation there in 1804, immortalized in a famous painting by Jacques-Louis David.
In 1792, revolutionaries also decapitated 28 statues from Notre Dame’s facade, mistaking them for French monarchs. They were actually ancient kings of Judah, biblical ancestors of Jesus. The heads were thought lost forever, possibly destroyed or sold as building materials.
But in 1977, workers renovating a courtyard in Paris’ 9th arrondissement uncovered hundreds of fragments of stone sculptures. Experts confirmed they were the missing heads of Notre Dame’s kings. How they ended up buried there remains a mystery.
Today, 22 of the heads have been restored and are displayed at the Cluny Museum in Paris. Their discovery is considered one of the most remarkable archaeological finds in the city’s modern history.
The 2019 fire that almost destroyed Notre Dame revealed a serious health risk. When the flames melted the roof, tons of toxic lead dust were released into the air and settled across Paris.
The problem? Authorities discovered there were no rules to measure the danger of outdoor lead dust. This wasn’t just a Paris issue — major cities like London and Rome, and even the World Health Organization, don’t have guidelines for outdoor lead pollution.
The Notre Dame fire highlighted a hidden problem, forcing officials to take a closer look at their safety standards. It took four months for the city to complete a deep-clean operation of the sidewalks even as tourists, residents and merchants walked streets around the cathedral daily.
For more of AP’s coverage on Notre Dame, visit https://apnews.com/hub/notre-dame-cathedral
FILE - Medieval sculptures of Notre-Dame cathedral's jube are displayed at the exhibition "Making stones speak", at the Cluny Museum, National Museum of the Middle Ages, in Paris, on Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)
FILE - Workers wearing disposable underwear and other protective gear after a delay prompted by fears of lead contamination clean the area in front of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, on Aug. 19, 2019 in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
FILE - Preserved gargoyles of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral are pictured, on April 17, 2019 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A group led by left-wing activists filed a second impeachment complaint against the Philippine vice president on Wednesday over her alleged misuse of government funds and demanded that she be permanently barred from holding public office.
The impeachment complaint filed by at least 74 activists, including human rights, labor and student leaders, before the House of Representatives reflects the extent of the political hostilities faced by Vice President Sara Duterte. She did not immediately comment on the new impeachment complaint or an earlier one filed Monday.
Duterte, a 46-year-old lawyer, is the daughter of also-controversial former President Rodrigo Duterte, who oversaw a bloody anti-drug crackdown while in office. The killing of thousands of suspects during the crackdown is being investigated by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity.
Her No. 1 political adversary has been President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom she publicly threatened with death in a Nov. 23 online news conference.
Government investigators have launched a criminal investigation into her threat against the president, his wife and the speaker of the House of Representatives, a cousin and ally of Marcos. Duterte has tried to walk back her comments by saying they were not a direct death threat but rather an expression of concern for her own safety.
The complaint filed Wednesday accused the vice president of “betrayal of public trust over the illegal use and mishandling of 612.5 million pesos ($10.3 million) in confidential funds,” according to a statement by the complainants.
The impeachment complaint said that in addition to the alleged misuse of the confidential and intelligence funds, the vice president and her staff allegedly tried to cover up the irregularities by submitting fabricated reports, receipts and documents to the Commission on Audit and deliberately obstructing a congressional investigation.
It said that in December 2022, the vice president’s office spent 125 million pesos ($2 million) in 11 days during the Christmas holidays for suspicious expenditures, including renting “safe houses,” paying for unspecified confidential information and financing rewards, which it said were not clearly explained by Duterte.
“Wasting the confidential funds is a big betrayal of the people,” said Liza Maza, a leading complainant from the Makabayan political coalition. “This is not just a simple technical violation but a systematic misuse and robbery of public funds.”
“The impeachment is the antidote to impunity,” said Renato Reyes of Bayan, another left-wing political coalition. “Citizens and taxpayers need to hold public officials accountable.”
On Monday, a group of civil society activists, including Roman Catholic priests and pro-democracy activists, filed an initial impeachment case that contained about 24 alleged crimes and irregularities, including her death threats against Marcos and her alleged role in the extra-judicial killings of drug suspects under her father's crackdown. She was also accused of failing to stand up to Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea.
The impeachment complaints will be examined by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by allies of Marcos and his cousin and key backer, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who also has been politically at odds with the vice president.
The process could take weeks or months. Congress is to start its Christmas recess on Dec. 20 and resume on Jan. 13. Many legislators will then start campaigning for reelection ahead of the May 12 midterm elections.
The House has been investigating the alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds received by Duterte’s offices as vice president and education secretary. She has since left the education post.
She has refused to respond to questions in detail in tense televised hearings. Philippine police have filed criminal complaints against Duterte and her security staff for allegedly assaulting authorities and disobeying orders in an altercation in Congress over the brief detention of her chief of staff, who was accused of hampering the congressional inquiry into the alleged misuse of funds.
The National Bureau of Investigation subpoenaed Duterte to face investigators on Dec. 11 about her threats against the president.
Marcos and Duterte won landslide victories as running mates in the 2022 election but have since fallen out over key differences. The two offices are elected separately in the Philippines, which has resulted in rivals occupying the country’s top political posts.
Associated Press journalists Aaron Favila and Joeal Calupitan contributed to this report.
House Secretary General, Reginald Velasco, left, receives a second impeachment complaint filed against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday Dec. 4, 2024 at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
