> Which of the following works by Victor Hugo was largely born out of a desire tomake readers more aware of the value of Gothic architecture?And the answer: Hunchback of Notre Dame. In the mid-19th century, many Gothic-style buildings were neglected and oftendestroyed, either replaced by new buildings or defaced by replacement of partsof buildings in a newer style. For example, the medieval stained glass panels ofNotre-Dame de Paris, had been replaced by white glass to let more light into thechurch.Gothic architecture evolved from the Romanesque around 1100 AD and reached itsheight in the mid-1400s. In the 1800s, when Hugo wrote Hunchback, Gothic stylehad given way to the Renaissance. By then Parisians considered medievalbuildings vulgar, deformed monstrosities. Calling a building Gothic was aninsult, a reference to Goth and Vandal Germanic tribes considered barbarians.Before Hugo's eyes, Paris' Gothic history was being torn down in the name ofmore respectable, profitable, projects. Alarmed and appalled, the author wrote:> All manner of profanation, degradation, and ruin are all at once threateningwhat little remains of these admirable monuments of the Middle Ages that bearthe imprint of past national glory, to which both the memory of kings and thetradition of the people are attached. While who knows what bastard edifices arebeing constructed at great cost (buildings that, with the ridiculous pretensionof being Greek or Roman in France, are neither Roman nor Greek), other admirableand original structures are falling without anyone caring to be informed,whereas their only crime is that of being French by origin, by history, and bypurpose.Hugo’s fictional story soon changed the future for Notre Dame. French hearts andminds were wrenched by the heartbreak of Quasimodo, the unsung hero of thecathedral. By carefully welding the themes of “saving the girl” with thebackdrop of the decaying cathedral, Hugo’s message in actuality was crystalclear: "Save the building." The story reminded its readers of the beauty andwonder of Notre Dame, revelations that had been collecting dust since itsarchitectural renown some 500 years prior. In 1844, preservation efforts for thecathedral began.To learn more about this masterpiece of architecture, check out the video below: