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	Church Renovation: A Crisis of Fashion By Michael S. Rose
	Much can be learned from Viollet-le-Duc's restoration of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris.

The contemporary trend of renovating Catholic churches calls to mind Victor Hugo’s classic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Hugo, writing in 1831, provides an emotional reflection on the architecture of the famous cathedral of the Ile-de-France. The French novelist expressed his sorrow and indignation at the "numberless degradations and mutilations" which the hand of time and that of man had inflicted upon the venerable monument.

"Upon the face of this old queen of the French cathedrals, beside each wrinkle we constantly find a scar," wrote Hugo. "Tempus edax, homo edacior. Which would willingly render thus: Time is blind, but man is stupid."

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In Tiers of Glory A beautifully illustrated history of church architecture by Michael S. Rose
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Ugly as Sin Why they changed our churches from sacred places to meeting spaces by Michael S. Rose
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