Notre Dame: Five things you probably didn't know about the cathedral in Paris

Notre Dame Cathedral which is set to reopen to the public on Sunday after a fiveyear 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 storiesFrom medieval myths to modernday mysteries here are five special things to know about this Paris landmarkThe heart of France literallyNotre Dames importance goes beyond its architecture and history its literally the point from which all roads in France beginIn front of the cathedral embedded in the cobblestones lies a modest bronzeandstone slab with the inscription iquestpoint zeacutero des routes de Franceiquest meaning starting point of the roads of France This plaque marks the starting point for measuring distances between Paris and other cities across the countryWhile the plaque was installed in 1924 the idea of a national ground zero dates to 1769 King Louis XV envisioned a central reference for Frances growing network of roads a concept that tied the nations geography to its heart in ParisThe great gargoyle mythThose scary stone creatures on Notre Dame might seem ancient but not all of them are what they appear The actual gargoyles which are monstershaped gutters used to drain rainwater have been around since the time of the cathedrals construction But the dramatic monsterlike figures often depicted on postcards and movies are chimera and theyre much newerIn the 19th century the architect Eugegravene ViolletleDuc who was in charge of renovating the thendecaying building added these creatures to add to the mystique of the cathedral ViolletleDuc drew inspiration from Victor Hugos famous book The Hunchback of Notre Dame to create these demonic animal figures with personified expressionsHow to tell them apart Gargoyles resemble horizontal spikes coming out of the facade and have holes in their spouts to allow water to drainA revolutionary makeoverDuring the French Revolution which saw waves of protest against the Church Notre Dame wasnt exactly treated like a revered cathedral In 1793 revolutionaries stripped it of its religious symbols and renamed it NotreDame de la Raison Our Lady of ReasonInstead the cathedral hosted festivals celebrating science and Enlightenment ideas and for a short time it was even used as a wine warehouseReligious 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 immortalised in a famous painting by JacquesLouis DavidThe beheaded kings who returned centuries laterIn 1792 revolutionaries also decapitated 28 statues from Notre Dames 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 materialsBut 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 Dames kings How they ended up buried there remains a mysteryToday 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 citys modern historyA fiery wakeup call on lead dustThe 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 ParisThe problem Authorities discovered there were no rules to measure the danger of outdoor lead dust This wasnt just a Paris issue major cities like London and Rome and even the World Health Organization dont have guidelines for outdoor lead pollutionThe 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 deepclean operation of the sidewalks even as tourists residents and merchants walked streets around the cathedral daily