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| The 13th Century Masterpiece Swallowed by Flames |
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| People Watching the Devastation |
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| Parisians Chanting "Ave Maria" and Praying for Help |
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| The Moment the Spier Collapses |
Worldwide shock by the destruction of the
Notre Dame Cathedral, that was burnt by a devastating fire that engulfed this beautiful United Nations Heritage Site. One spire and the roof collapsed leaving Parisians heartbroken and terrified by this national
calamity, while many chanted hymns praying for help.
The cathedral’s construction began in 1160 and was completed
by 1250. It was considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic
architecture. The “innovative use of the rib vault and flying buttresses, the
enormous colourful stained-glass windows, the abundance of sculpture" and the
stone gargoyles made this monument unique.
The church suffered desecration during the French revolution. The cathedral’s universal popularity
boomed soon after the publication of Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre
Dame”, helping money to be collected for its restoration.
“Notre Dame is our history, our literature, part of our
psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our
liberations, the epicentre of our lives”, president Macron told the press.
He solemnly promised his compatriots to rebuild this historic
church. He would get the most talented French
and international experts to help reconstruct Notre Dame and make it emerge unscathed
from the embers. “We shall build it
together,” he said.
The French President also congratulated the 800 firefighters
for the “courage and professionalism,” they showed during these difficult hours.
Let us hope that Notre Dame will be soon rebuilt and become
once more the beautiful Parisian landmark that we all so admired and cherished.
(Most of the information for this post was from France 24, the BBC, CNN and Wikipedia, all of whom, I sincerely thank.)
(Most of the information for this post was from France 24, the BBC, CNN and Wikipedia, all of whom, I sincerely thank.)
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| Notre Dame Before the Catastrophe |
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| The Interior of the Cathedral with the Incredible Religious Sculpture and Stained Glass Windows |
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