When that fell, live on television, people standing, watching the television in the restaurant we were eating collectively gasped.
And even more wondered -- what happens next?
After the fall, there was much discussion. Could the church be saved? (Quite possibly, with much work and expense.)
Were most of the treasures removed? (Yes, including the remarkable Rose Window.)
Would the spire be rebuilt as it was or would a new, more contemporary design take its place?
That question was up for grabs until just recently.
There is good reason to rejoice. Restoration work is underway and the spire will be replaced.
It will take a long while. But it will be done.
48 comments:
I'm glad they'll duplicate the spire. I kind of hope they will rebuilt Notre Dame just as it was. Some cities in Germany Belgium and elsewhere (Nuremberg, Tournai, etc) rebuilt their towns after the war as almost exact replicas of what had gone. All these years later it is hard to tell, at least for a stranger, that this has been done.
Beautiful photos ~ I'm so glad the spire will be duplicated ~ and so many of the treasures were rescued and so many remained undamaged too. Amen & Amen
The Cathedral of Notre Dame should and will be rebuilt I certainly hope! It's not the only Cathedral that has been destroyed and rises from the ashes. I enjoyed seeing your photos of the heart of Paris, Jeanie.
Jeanie, I was heart sick when Notre-Dame caught fire. I am hoping it can be rebuilt and be better. So sad. to see a beautiful church be gone. I am still praying our very own town will rebuilt our Catholic church. It's a about 4 years now since it had to be taken down. It was struck by lightening. Blessings to you, hope you and Rick are well and enjoying life. xoxo, Susie
Luckily not everything was lost in the fire. I remember watching it on the news and thinking about how all those hundreds of years of stories and history could just become rumble. That would have been a tragedy. Happy new week. Hugs-Erika
Wow, that is amazing that they are going to rebuild the spiral. I'm sure it will be a labor of love for all of those who work on it and help to fund it.
I am happy to hear the spire will be duplicated; that would be an outrage to replace it with a modern design, in my opinion. I lived in Paris in July during two different years, and heard many organ recitals in the cathedral, which I love.
I'm so glad they are keeping the spire the same ~ our niece is a walking tour guide in Paris.
Actually, the ORIGINAL spire from the 13th century fell down in 1606, and the one burned in the fire was from the 19th century, but it's still important to restore it to the way it was before. It was a real tragedy!
be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I hope it will soon be back to its former glory, like phoenix risen from the ashes. Have a great week, Valerie
I remember 9/11. I was at work, all we had was internet and CNN just had the starting page, you got NO information. Colleagues tried to call relatives and friends who where in NY. (All were OK)
Notre Dame we saw. Live. Devastating. We saw it fall.
At least no lives were lost this time. But it was plain horrible. To imagine who planned this building way back then, who worked to make it and then... No WW could harm it that much.
I hope they replace it all like for like, as close as they can get. It's been this way for centuries and to replace it with modern upgrades would be a travesty. Besides being a place of worship, it is an historical artefact. You wouldn't restore the Mona Lisa in the style of Picasso, or rebuild Stonehenge with steel and concrete.
Deb in Wales
I have to say, that in general, my reaction to grand cathedrals and the like, beyond admiration of their beauty, and their place in history, is a touch of revulsion to contemplate that they were constructed with funds extracted from impoverished wretches by threat of damnation if they did not give what they were ill-equipped to give. Corpulent, grotesque priests and bishops, cardinals and popes, feasted, debauched and cheated all the while. Having said all of that, there is something about Notre Dame, as the central feature of a city that really belongs to all the world, that transcends mere bricks and mortar. It does represent continuity, and somehow captures the imagination of all who see it. I am glad that it is being restored.
I remember exactly where I was when the fire started and we watched in horror as the spire fell. I'm thrilled the priceless antiquities and stained glass can be saved, and now to read they will replicate the spire makes me smile. What great news to wake to today.
Hello,
I do remember watching that horrible fire. It was so sad to see what happened to this beautiful cathedral. I am so glad they are going to rebuild and duplicate the spire! Take care! Enjoy your day! Wishing you a happy new week!
I really hope that it is rebuilt Jeanie! It is such an important feature in history and in literature. The fire was truly tragic. There have been quite a few cathedrals in France set light to recently,some say arson, which is unimaginably horrible. I would expect with the virus much of planning on rebuiding the Cathedral was put on hold. I hope and pray that it goes forward. xoxo PS - We were to see the beautiful Cathredral in Strasbourg which is amazing. It has an astronimical clock in it which dates back to the 1300's. Truly a marvel to see.
💛
Haven't heard much about Notre Dame lately, so that is good news Jeanie.
I remember when this happened - it was so horrific. I remember reading too though that the bee hives situated on the roof survived the fire. The history major in me loves that they are choosing to duplicate. :)
Hi, Jeanie! Catching up with you a bit here, at long last! Just sent you an over-due email too. ;) I'm not sure if I can leave a comment on all your latest posts I... but know I'm still here, still appreciating all you share here, still checking in when I can! Life keeps grabbing hold of me, and a lot of the time, I have no idea where time goes either... haha! Oh, but how soothing this post is!! Such beautiful imagines... And the hope of how Notre Dame shall be rebuilt, the spire especially in it's original style--HOORAY! (I hope they consider to rebuilt all that has been damage in its original style.) How fast time does go... I remember the sadness, seeing this great moment of faith and life burn... But so glad it will rise again! These are tough times we're living in, for so many reasons-- it is good to have hope! ((LOVE & HUGS))
Such a beautiful structure. I am glad that they are rebuilding the spire!
Jeanie, you are correct - "Certainly reason to rejoice." I am so happy that they will be building it as it was and it is such a blessing that the glorious windows were saved. This cathedral is a treasure to the world.
So glad it will be restored and not changed...lThanks for the update, Jeanie. This was one of the places in my life in which I was most deeply, emotionally, spiritually moved...
Hooray! And looking forward to seeing this work progress... and soon!
That was awful when the fire occurred, I remember that time. My daughters went to Mass at Notre Dame when they visited Europe many years ago. It's beautiful, and your photos are very nice, Jeanie. Isn't that stained glass window amazing?
Have a wonderful week.
~Sheri
Thank you for these beautiful pictures of the stained glass. I hope they can rebuild Notre Dame correctly.
I saw that they are going to restore the cathedral and that's good news. It would have been a shame not to, considering what an important icon is for European culture.
That is wonderful news.
This is long comment but I’d like readers to understand - As David M. Gascoigne commented above old cathedrals and churches in France were built by the poor and serfs. Notre Dame was built during the middle Ages mostly by serfs. At the time the “serfs” belong to the Lord of the Castle or some were serfs of churches or monasteries. During the “servage” which comes from the Latin ‘servus – or slave,’ the French serfs had to work the land and had very little rights. They had to live on the castle land, were forbidden to marry a serf from another castle land. When the lands were sold the serfs went with it (unless they bought their freedom.) In a way it was a bit like the American plantations, but not quite. They also had to pay heavy taxes to the Lord and the Church, and were obliged to build whatever was required – castles, churches, etc. This is why at the French Revolution of 1789 both the nobility and the clergy went to the guillotine (the Revolution was ½ against the king and ½ against the church.) Notre Dame Cathedral and all the Church buildings (cathedrals, basilicas, churches, chapels, monasteries, etc.) were seized and became the property of the French State (or the people.) Many were burnt, Notre Dame was heavily damaged and was going to be destroyed until Victor Hugo wrote a book to save it. Religious buildings are considered just like any other museum, they are public property. Which is why President Macron could decide how to repair the cathedral not the Vatican; the taxpayers are the owners, not the Church. He consulted the “Commission nationale du patrimoine et de l’architecture » (National Committee for Heritage and Architecture) and architects, and not the Clergy.
The main architect, Philippe Villeneuve, pleaded that the work should be faithful to the 19th Viollet-le-Duc Gothic style. He argued that this option would meet Emmanuel Macron’s deadline of 5 years. He gave the president a 3000 pages support document. After a 5 hour meeting President Macron agreed to have it rebuilt the same as it was.
It was fun though following all the ideas proposed for the roof – some unique and some quite strange.
I am pleased that they will be building it as it was, thank goodness the wonderful windows were saved.
Stay safe and well.
All the best Jan
I just looked this up a few days ago, wondering how the reconstruction was going. I'm glad to hear they're keeping the same look for the spire. I was hoping they would.
Thank you Jeanie for the update. I think everyone was shocked at the images being shown on the news and live television. A terrible thing seeing this cathedral on fire. I do hope it will be rebuilt as close to the original as possible. The last time in Paris our hotel was nearby, we could see the back from our window. Most every evening we walked over and just sat on a bench and took in the beauty and history of what we were looking at. Your photos are beautiful.......
Jeanie, thanks for the update. I was heartbroken about Notre Dame as I sat in horror watching it burn. I hope we can travel to Paris soon, one of my favorite cities!
I took a lot of pictures of the construction when I was there last February. I went to Mass at Notre Dame in 2018, and it was something I'll never forget. Glad that it will be restored.
I'm so happy it is being saved and made beautiful again. I've never seen it and probably never will, but it makes me happy looking at photos of great art like Notre Dame.
I remember when you posted about Notre Dame burning last year... I'll have to catch up and read the post-fire article a bit later. Glad they will be rebuilding the spire as it was really beautiful. <3
Stay cool and well,
Barb :)
I am glad there will be a replica. We have so many modern buildings in all our towns and cities and that is good so. Each era has its own style. I think it would be sacrilege to mess about with Notre Dame.
I am so glad it will be built very much like it was. It is a treasure even if built by people who were for lack of a better term slaves. So much of this world was built on slavery and now it is time to build it again with grace and love and of course not using slaves of any kind.
I am so happy they are going to duplicate the spire. I wondered what was happening. Thanks! How I love having visited the cathedral on several occasions.
And...where's the money for all these great plans/ideas?
I see M. Macron, as usual, very opinionated...
The article not only looks good, it certainly sounds convincing, but there's something about it tha makes me think of...a bit of smoke and mirrors...
Seems like the real money may be coming already from a country whose name starts with these letters: U.S.A. But then again, I'm not surprised...
https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/landmarks-monuments/americans-donating-to-notre-dame-cathedral-rebuild
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/06/14/french-billionaires-didnt-rebuild-notre-dame-small-donors-did/1456179001/
This is fantastic news! I hate to say that with the horrific loss of life in these Covid days, the racial unrest, and all of us trying to find a new normal, tragedies like this can get lost in the shuffle for some of us. I thank you for sharing this and I'll have a look at the article. And maybe one day, I'll get to visit in person!
Jane 😘
It wouldn't be the same without the spire, even a different one. I'm glad they have decided to duplicate it. However, I'm sure it will take some time - they also need to put up the entire roof and certainly they need to come up with some fire safe solution. Maybe they could take a visit to Cologne cathedral where they put in a fire safer solution.
remarkable photos and story too - thanks, Jeannie
Who could imagine it without that spire? It's wonderful that it's going to be duplicated. Some landmarks are just too precious to lose forever, so I'm glad that it will regain some of its former glory. Notre Dame IS Paris - just after the Eiffel Tower!
It's great news that the spire will be duplicated. Some landmarks are just too precious to lose, and I'm glad that it will regain some of its former glory. Notre Dame IS Paris - right behind the Eiffel Tower!
I'd wondered.
So good to know historical beauty will be preserved.
Thanks for sharing this hauntingly beautiful photos.
- Jennifer
I am glad they are keeping the spire! It needs to be rebuilt as it was originally built. The skyline needs that historic landmark!!
Oh, that's wonderful news! I was hoping they'd build a replica. It won't be the same as having the original still standing, but it's as close as is possible, and I'm glad.
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