Supported by sandbags, its glass-stained windows removed, Notre Dame is hit by three bombs during The Great War. With the sovereignty of the nation at stake, Catholicism and nationalism go hand in hand. On the 17th of November, 1918, political and military leaders assemble under the roof of the cathedral to celebrate the Armistice with a Te Deum. During the Second World War, Notre Dame is used as a stage for Petain’s Vichy government. Officials lose no opportunity to reinforce the legitimacy of the government and their collaboration with the Nazis. After the Liberation of Paris the setting changes overnight: General De Gaulle leads the elated Parisians from the Arch of Triumph to the Notre Dame.
