Notre Dame Cathedral

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denice

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Those famous rose stained glass windows are gone. There were also large wooden statues that still had paint from the middle ages on them, I know they are gone. They couldn't be carried out and nothing wooden could possibly have survived.
 

Lari

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I'm so sad about this. I'm glad I was able to visit Notre Dame when I was a teenager, even though my pictures were pretty terrible back then, but as a francophile this hurts me really deeply.
 

Margret

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:bawling2: The building of Notre Dame was an incredible feat, and so much gorgeous artwork went into it. This is a huge loss for all of humanity. The French must be devastated right now. One didn't have to be a Catholic, or even a Christian, to appreciate its beauty and history, and the love and faith that its builders poured into it.

I just read about the fire in a Rolling Stone story. They don't know for sure yet (possibly we never will), but they suspect the fire was begun by a spark from one of the tools they were using to restore the spire. Sometimes you just can't win - anything you do (or don't do) can be disastrous.

Margret
 

Margret

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A site where you can contribute to the eventual restoration: https://frenchheritagesociety.org/event/notre-dame-fire-restoration-fund/

Remember, the most basic structure is stone, and the cathedral was extremely well documented. Yes, something has been/is being lost that is irreplaceable; what is built in its place won't be the original. What it will be, however, is another work of love and faith, and it will also be a thing of beauty, to be cherished. And I'm sure it will be as close to the original as humanly possible, except a great deal more fireproof.

Margret
 

Margret

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Flames cause 'colossal damages' to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Macron says 'we will rebuild'
"A French firefighter official told reporters the main structure of the cathedral has been saved and the two iconic main towers are intact and have been saved as well."
Additionally, I've been told that so far the rose window above the altar is intact. (Note: this is hearsay.) Also, many of the statues and other removable pieces of artwork had already been taken out to protect them during the spire restoration, and firefighters did what they could to protect the rest of the building, to give people time to remove more of the artwork. It appears that the destruction isn't as total as it appeared at first glance.

Margret
 
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Kat0121

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Flames cause 'colossal damages' to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Macron says 'we will rebuild'


Additionally, I've been told that so far the rose window above the altar is intact. (Note: this is hearsay.) Also, many of the statues and other removable pieces of artwork had already been taken out to protect them during the spire restoration, and firefighters did what they could to protect the rest of the building, to give people time to remove more of the artwork. It appears that the destruction isn't as total as it appeared at first glance.

Margret
I hope you're right. :crossfingers:
 

DreamerRose

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A lot was saved, the Crown of Thorns and the robe belonging to Saint Louis (Louis IX) and I believe the rose windows. The side windows showing the 12 stations of the cross are gone. The copper statues on the spire had already been removed (yesterday) for cleaning.

I know now how the French felt when the towers went down. I feel the same way about Notre Dame. It's a global treasure.
 

Margret

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I know now how the French felt when the towers went down. I feel the same way about Notre Dame. It's a global treasure.
I suspect that on 9/11 they felt more like how we felt when the offices of Charlie Hebdo were shot up. This is a great tragedy, and we all feel the loss, but no one thinks it was deliberate. There's a qualitative difference between an accident and murder. In some ways it's easier to deal with an act of terrorism; we get angry, the anger has a specific focus, and then we can take it out on someone appropriate, say, Osama Bin Laden. The problem, of course, arises when we decide to take it out on someone who had nothing to do with it, all Muslims for example. With an accidental fire all we can do is mourn what we've lost and rebuild to the best of our ability. There's no good place to direct the anger, so we may turn it inward, which is a bad answer.

I wonder how long it will be until we know for sure how much was saved, and how strong the stones of the Cathedral are now that they've been damaged by fire.

Margret
 
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denice

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Francois-Henri Pinault has pledged $100 million to the restoration. Americans probably know him better as Salma Hayek's husband. The Rockefellers were major donors to the project to repair damage done during WWII.

That spire they were working on wasn't part of the original structure. It was added during the 19th century and was very controversial at the time. A lot of people didn't like it and thought it should not have been added. It didn't hold up over time which is why restoration was needed.
 

Mia6

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Of all the times this could happen, it occurs during Holy Week. I'm glad no one was injured and the Crown of Thorns was saved.
Francois-Henri Pinault has pledged $100 million to the restoration. Americans probably know him better as Salma Hayek's husband
What an amazing gesture.
 
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denice

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The Crown of Thorns is supposed to have been one of the things that firefighters went into the building to save. One firefighter was seriously injured but it isn't life threatening.
 
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