Perhaps most familiar is the role the Gothic cathedral plays in the novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," written by French author Victor Hugo in 1831. The title refers to the book's protagonist, Quasimodo, the bellringer of the cathedral, who is in love with the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda. Notre Dame's high towers are the setting for the novel's climatic moment.

Hugo's novel may have helped revive the cathedral's popularity. During the French Revolution in the late 18th century, anti-church sentiment surged. Notre Dame was plundered, its decorations destroyed and left to sit in disrepair. A campaign to revive the cathedral began in 1844, with many crediting the novel for lighting the spark.

In more recent years, Hugo's novel has been made into more than a dozen big screen films, starting in 1905 with the short silent film "Esmeralda." The 1996 Disney animated film captured the hearts of many young viewers with its musical numbers and "living" character versions of the gargoyles that spout water off Notre Dame's roof.

The west facade of Notre Dame is a shining example of Gothic architecture, with delicate arches, nestling statues and two gracefully symmetrical towers. It is one of Paris' defining icons. And as one of Europe's most popular tourist attractions, the facade has been captured every year in millions of visitors' snapshots.

Painters from all eras and genres have also captured the Gothic cathedral in different ways. French artist Maximilien Luce painted his impression of it in his 1901-04 oil painting "View of Notre Dame from the Quai Saint-Michel." He seems to have been inspired by the cathedral, as he depicted it around 10 times.

A grittier portrayal of Notre Dame can be found in the 1826 oil painting by the German artist Eduard Gaertner. "Paris, Rue-Nueve-Notre-Dame" shows the cathedral's west facade through the narrow, busy streets of downtown Paris. Gaertner prided himself on realistic depictions or urban architecture.

Spanish painter Pablo Picasso used his brush to capture Notre Dame on multiple occasions. This version, from 1954, shows a blend of wild fauvist color with an angular cubist style. There is no single viewpoint; instead Notre Dame is seen from multiple angles on its island in the Seine River. Picasso blends the roof of the cathedral into the clouds.

Henri Rousseau's painting from around 1909 titled "View of the Ile Saint-Louis from the Quai Henry IV" includes the familiar outline of Notre Dame against the sky. He uses a flat, dark color for the cathedral, and while he doesn't give any of its ornamental detail, the profile of the spire and the two facade towers cannot be mistaken.

The cathedral's interior has also been captured in art. One famous work is "The Coronation of Napoleon" painted by Jacques-Louis David in 1806-07. As Napoleon's official painter, David shows his boss crowning himself emperor in 1804 inside Notre Dame. To mark his independence from the Catholic Church, Napoleon faces away from the high altar. The painting can be seen in France's Louvre museum.

Notre Dame has also been captured in music — or at least in a musical style that was developed in and around the cathedral from 1160-1250. The Notre Dame school refers to composers who created music with multiple independent but interweaving voices. The numes look very different from modern musical notation. Here we see a French songbook from the early 12th century.

A photo from 1880 shows Notre Dame towering over central Paris. Until the Eiffel Tower was unveiled for the 1889 World's Fair, Notre Dame was the tallest structure in the French capital.

Statues overlooking the cathedral's roof, which was almost entirely destroyed in the blaze.

Quasimodo, the fictional character and main protagonist in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," made the world-renowned cathedral even more famous. The book was made into numerous films. Here, Quasimodo is seen ringing the church bells in the 1956 French-Italian version directed by Jean Delannoy.

Security forces sealed off the area around the cathedral as some 400 firefighters used powerful hoses in an effort to bring the flames under control. The cathedral was undergoing restoration works when the fire started. Investigators are treating the cause of the fire as an accident, ruling out arson or terrorism.

The fire caused the spire to come crashing down and the wooden roof support structures to go up in flames. The cathedral building had fallen into ruin after years of neglect following the French Revolution, but was saved thanks to a vast restoration campaign that began in the 19th century.

The blaze burned for nearly eight hours before it was contained.

Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to Notre Dame's two towers and belfry. Officials said after several hours of intense operations that the basic structure had been "saved and preserved."

People in Paris looked on in horror, prayed and sung hymns as fire took hold of more and more of the cathedral. "Paris is disfigured, the city will never be like it was before," one man (not pictured) told French news agency AFP. "It's a tragedy," he added. "If you pray, now is the time to pray."

The responders fought to save the artwork at the back of the famous cathedral. Many priceless artworks and cultural relics were taken out before being burned. Last week, by chance, workers had removed 16 copper statues for cleaning for the first time in over a century.

An aerial view shows firefighters battling the raging fire. A part of the vault collapsed and only a part of the interior was destroyed.

In the early morning hours, the first images of the interior emerged. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and French President Emmanuel Macron entered the building. Hidalgo said "there is no roof anymore, there's none of that left" — but that the interior was in much better condition than she and others had expected.