In the midst of the French revolution the tocsin of Notre Dame is ringing again, when the royal family flees the capital in a desperate effort to reach to border. The introduction of a new revolutionary calendar coincides with the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. In this new era the rose windows of the cathedral, referring to cosmic cycles, to time resolved into eternity, have lost their meaning. The Convention decides to demolish the cathedral. The spire above the transept is pulled down. The twenty eight statues of the Kings of Judea and Israel on the western façade are shattered on the Place du Parvis. By miracle the building is saved from total destruction and turned into a Temple of Reason.
