This course on the presence of cathedrals in France is a part of a course entitled "Culture and society in France" given at Stockholm University (French, level I)
The cathedral is perceived as a colossal architectural element in the landscape often emerging as a literary motif (Hugo, Proust...). It refers to a thousand-year-old time and also appears as a metaphor for a discourse on civilizations. During the fire of Notre-Dame de Paris on April 15, 2019, this metaphor was even reused in the political discourse by touching on emotions (How should we rebuild the nation? Can we create similar buildings nowadays?). This lesson is based upon a pedagogical project supported by Stockholm University (Årets lärare 2021).