The Soviet artist Porfiry Krylov was a member of the Kukryniksy artistic group and a special correspondent of the newspaper “Pravda” (Truth). He often visited Europe for both business and vacations. The artist created a series of landscapes with views of Italy, Germany and France.

In the French series of paintings by Porfiry Krylov there are several works dedicated to Paris. The artist depicted the Louvre and Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe, the streets of Paris and the Seine with its ancient bridges. A particular work that especially stands out is the majestic cathedral of Notre Dame, glorified by the French novelist Victor Hugo.

In Krylov’s painting “Little Bridge Near Notre-Dame”, the cathedral is shown from the left bank of Paris, on which the Eiffel Tower, the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Garden are located. The Seine River divides the city into two parts — the left and right banks. Notre-Dame is located on a tiny island between them — Île de la Cité (City Island) — which is connected to the rest of the city via a 20-meter-long Little Bridge (Petit Pont). This is the oldest historical part of the city. It was inhabited as far back as antiquity and the Roman conquest of the Gaul region.

Previously, there was a Romanesque cathedral on Île de la Cité, the stones of which were used to lay the foundation of Notre-Dame. It was laid in the 12th century and was under construction for 180 years. During this time, the French throne saw ten kings and the Capetian dynasty was replaced by the Valois.

Notre-Dame de Paris witnessed the prayers of the Crusaders, the trial of Joan of Arc, the wedding of Mary Stuart to Francis II, the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Great French Revolution, during which Robespierre almost destroyed the temple. Half a century later, the famous gargoyles replaced the broken statues of kings on the cathedral’s facade.

On April 15, 2019, Notre-Dame was severely damaged during a fire. The fire burned for more than 12 hours, despite the efforts of 400 firefighters. Aviation was not used to extinguish the fire because there was a possibility of the roof collapsing and damaging the shrines. The fire destroyed the famous spire and roof of the cathedral. By the end of 2024, the cathedral will have been restored, but it will never look like the one from Krylov’s cityscape made in 1960.