10 Facts That Will Make You Feel A Little Better About The Future Of Notre Dame

On Monday, the iconic Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris caught on fire. Dozens of people watched for many hours as the firefighters fought the blazing fire, worrying about the future of this legendary landmark. After a long battle, the flames were finally put out and the damage could be assessed. Firefighters say the fire started in the attic and quickly spread, destroying the cathedral’s spire in the process. And even though the majority of the roof had burned, many of the artwork stored inside was saved and other parts of the building remained intact.

A fire started in the attic of the Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday and its roof quickly burst into flames – however, there is still hope

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“Notre-Dame is aflame,” said French President Emmanuel Macron in a Tweet. “Great emotion for the whole nation. Our thoughts go out to all Catholics and to the French people. Like all of my fellow citizens, I am sad to see this part of us burn tonight.” As thoughts and prayers poured out to the people of Paris, there were also many messages of hope rising from the ashes.

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Firefighters still don’t know the cause of the fire and an investigation has been opened up. There were many relics and art pieces, such as the Crown of Thorns, stored inside the cathedral but they were managed to be saved. At the time of the fire, the Notre-Dame cathedral was undergoing renovation and was surrounded by scaffolding. 400 firefighters joined forces to fight the fire.

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President Macron continued to send encouraging messages, saying the cathedral will be restored: “Although the battle is not yet totally won, we will rebuild Notre-Dame together.”

The cathedral was completed in 1345 and survived many wars and invasions –  this will not be the first time it is rebuilt

Even though you might feel sad now, there is still hope for the future

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The main structure of the building wasn’t destroyed

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“We can consider that the two towers of the north belfry Notre-Dame have been saved,” said Paris fire commander Jean-Claude Gallet to reporters on Monday. “The structure of Our Lady is saved as a whole.”

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“One sensitive point is the central scaffolding, which is going to require several hours before it can be cooled down completely,” said Gallet, “There is still a risk that this scaffolding could partially collapse but we can consider that the structure of Notre-Dame is saved and preserved in its entirety.”

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On Tuesday morning, firefighters inspected the interior of the cathedral and found it to be mostly intact. “Throughout the night our work consisted of keeping an eye on the residue so the fire didn’t reignite and overseeing the structure of the building to make sure it didn’t collapse,” said Gabriel Plus, a spokesman for the Paris fire services. “We had to ensure the towers were not touched and this is the case.”

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The cathedral will be rebuilt

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The French president assured the citizens that Notre-Dame will be rebuilt and a few wealthy donors have already made pledges.

One of the cathedral’s most iconic features, the north rose window, remained intact

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The rose windows, depicting religious stories from both the old and testaments, date back all the way to the 13th century and, luckily, all three of them remained undamaged.

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The famous crucifix survived the fire too

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The cross remained standing amongst the rubble and some people even saw it as a symbol of hope.

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The nave was spared from the fire

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French businessman François-Henri Pinault already pledged over 100 million euros to help rebuild the cathedral

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François-Henri Pinault, the chief executive of the Kering group, that owns the Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and other fashion houses, said he will donate over $113 million dollars to help the reconstruction. “Faced with such a tragedy, everyone wishes to give life back as soon as possible to this jewel of our heritage,” said the billionaire.

Another French businessman, Bernard Arnault, is also donating 200 million euros to help the restoration of the cathedral

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“The Arnault family and the LVMH Group, in solidarity with this national tragedy, are committed to assist with the reconstruction of this extraordinary cathedral, symbol of France, its heritage and its unity,” said the Arnault family in a statement. Other people and companies joined in too: Total, a French oil and gas company, also donated €100 million, Henry Kravis, a co-founder of private equity group KKR, pledged $10 million too, as did Tech and consulting firm Capgemini which promised to donate €1 million.

Many people from all over their world sent words of encouragement

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