On 15 April 2019, a structure fire broke out beneath the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris, as it is formally known as, in Paris. By the time it was extinguished, the building's spire and most of its roof and upper walls had been destroyed or seriously damaged. Further damage to the interior was prevented by its stone ceiling, which largely contained the burning roof as it collapsed. Many works of art and religious relics were moved to safety, but others suffered some smoke damage, and some exterior art was damaged or destroyed. The cathedral's altar, two pipe organs, and its three 13th-century rose windows, suffered little to no damage.
Sadly, because of this, The Notre Dame Cathedral did not hold Christmas services for the first time since the French Revolution. The fire also brought to light the state of disrepair the cathedral itself was in. There have been articles written about the state the cathedral is in, but they weren't really highlighted until the fire broke out. Reports have cited that the cathedral has gotten so bad not because of tourism, but because of weather and pollution. Beautiful gargoyles were replaced with plastic replicas a tenth of their former glory and limestone crumbled at the touch. Some have said that the fire is good for the cathedral because now the government would be more inclined to repair the cathedral. I personally do not agree with this, but I digress.
Fun Facts:
- Flying buttresses were constructed because the weight of the high roofs was too much for the walls alone.
- Each beam inside the surviving wood timber frames is named after the tree that was cut down to make said beam.
- The two towers on the cathedral are in fact not twins. The north tower is just slightly bigger than the south.
The Notre Dame Cathedral:
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