Notre Dame

[Drew]

Devastated by the news from Paris....

As of the moment I am typing reports have just recently come in saying the bell towers have been saved from collapse....but the destruction is horrific enough and what has been lost -- irreplaceable.

[Mashinka]

This morning it appears that much of the building has been saved and I have read on Facebook that most of the famous organ has actually survived .  Some pictures below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47945465

Pledges of money for rebuilding are flooding in and it is worth remembering that when York Minster, a cathedral in northern England, suffered a similar fire some thirty odd years ago, the restoration work afterwards was so good you wouldn't guess the building was once seriously fire damaged.   At the moment they think the fire's cause was to do with restoration work, however a French nun interviewed on TV referred to ten churches in France recently attacked by arsonists and I found this rather worrying Newsweek article that seems to indicate an upsurge in anti Catholic sentiment by anarchists and feminists.

https://www.newsweek.com/spate-attacks-catholic-churches-france-sees-altars-desecrated-christ-statue-1370800

Stomach churning to even think this might have been deliberate.  Wonderful work by the Paris fire brigade as the roads around the building are so narrow that getting access must have been a logistical nightmare.  They are the heroes of the night for saving so much.

 

 

[dirac]

Fires are a known hazard of restoration work, so absent any evidence to the contrary it is the most reasonable explanation.

What a shock seeing the spire collapse. I gather today that the damage could have been much worse, the structure is sound, and restoration is certain, so despite the losses there will be a happy ending. As Mashinka notes, such things do happen. Sometimes such restorations can even make improvements.

Awesome work by the Parisian firefighters, as Mashinka also said.

[MadameP]

It has been so sad watching the news footage of this - such an extraordinary , historic and iconic building.  I remember so clearly walking around that beautiful interior and then climbing up to the roof to see the gargoyles up close.  I can only imagine how awful it must feel for the Parisians to see it in ruins.  But at least much HAS been saved -  God bless those brave firefighters for that! - and how wonderful that so much money has already been pledged to restore it.  

[aurora]

A really interesting interactive about the fire in the New York Times.

[dirac]

An update. Not out of the woods just yet:

Quote

Chauvet estimated it would take another three years after that to make it safe enough for people to re-enter the cathedral, but that the full restoration will take longer. President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants it rebuilt by 2024, when Paris hosts the Olympics, but experts have questioned whether that time frame is realistic.

Another reason it’s still too dangerous to host religious services inside Notre Dame: The fire released tons of toxic lead dust, and authorities are working to clean it up and assess related health risks.