*The Hunchback of Notre-Dame* (1831) is a famous historical novel by Victor Hugo. It is thanks to this work that we can admire one of the world's most beautiful Gothic cathedrals, located in the very heart of Paris. Hugo drew attention to the cathedral through his writing—and did so deliberately, as there were plans to demolish Notre-Dame. The author made no secret of the fact that the novel’s true protagonist was the cathedral itself. Yet readers will undoubtedly remember the book’s vivid characters: the beautiful Gypsy Esmeralda; the noble, kind-hearted, and deformed Quasimodo; the treacherous priest tormented by forbidden feelings for Esmeralda; and many others.