As the central timber spire of the iconic Notre Dame De Paris collapsed on Monday evening, the entire world watched with sadness as one of the most famous and beloved French structures was engulfed in a blazing inferno. As images of Parisians holding hands and singing “Ave Maria” in front of the burning cathedral surfaced, our heart went out to them. The Notre Dame De Paris is the epitome of French Gothic style architecture, and it sits on the site of one of the most ancient locations in Paris that had been initially inhabited in the first century BC.
How The Fire Engulfed The Lady Of Paris
The 12th-century Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire on the afternoon of April 15, 2019. As the flames ravaged on, the building’s widely recognized and iconic spire and its roof collapsed. It had also done considerable damage to the interiors and destroyed a few pieces of art. Fortunately, Notre Dame’s stunning Rose windows, the original 13th-century Great Organ, several relics like the Crown of Thorns, and the building’s concrete foundation were saved, according to reports. However, the conditions of numerous other artifacts remain unknown to date. Though a mass was going on at the time of the fire, the building was evacuated in time and several art pieces and other treasures were moved to safer places. An investigation is on to find out the reason behind the fire, but it was probably an accident, and it took 15 hours for the French fire brigade to extinguish the flames entirely.
The History Of The Cathedral
The cathedral was built on this site over the remains of a seventh-century cathedral. Bishop Maurice De Sully started the work in 1163, and after 182 years, the structure was completed. The French Revolution was not kind to the building and several religious imageries were destroyed. In the 19th century, it was Victor Hugo’s famous novel The Hunchback Of Notre Dame that brought the historical structure in the forefront once more. In 1944, the people of this city celebrated the Liberation of Paris while they sang “Magnificat”. The cathedral grew along with the city, and restoration works took place for years to account for the damages caused by growing pollution and the passage of time.
Steps Taken For Restoration
French President Emmanuel Macron canceled a major meeting in order to take care of the whole situation. He even addressed the people who had gathered in front of the burning structure. He has brought into the forefront how vulnerable some of these old, heritage structures are and the steps that should be taken in order to restore them and keep them safer for many more years. The good news is the French President has declared that the cathedral will be restored in five years, the target date being 2024. It also happens to be the year when Paris will host the Olympics. Contributions toward the restoration work have already started pouring in. We hope to see the spire up again soon.
The restoration work will involve a lot of high-end technology as well which we hope will do justice to the magnificence of this important structure. Though 850 years of human history burned in a matter of hours, we can be assured that Paris will stand up once more from the ashes and rebuild this famed cathedral anew with the rest of the world behind them.