The building, alas, is beyond repair. My family lived in Paris 1957 to 1960. We had a cousin visit us in the summer of 1959, and we gave her the grand tour—Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur and, of course, Notre Dame. I inherited a set of water color paintings purchased then and there that includes all of these, and they are among my most prized possessions. I came to tears at this most devastating loss.
It is just heart-breaking. The news say that a spark from an oxy acetylene torch fell on one of the wooden beams that were covered with tar! Beautiful pictures of Notre Dame, thank you all very much for sharing. Downloaded them for remembrance.
I saw some of the early photos of the interior. The roof collapse merely fell onto the stone ceiling, which broke through in just a few places. A surprising amount of the interior seems rather unscathed. Perhaps the stained glass windows below the ceiling (which includes all of the famous ones) would have been spared.
My wife and I spent a few days in Paris before the kids came along... one of our best days involved sitting at a cafe (having a cold beer ....it was a HOT day) right across the cobbles from Notre Dame and enjoying the view. A temple of Jupiter stood on the site before the cathedral so a very historic place (to say the least). One thing that struck me was that there were no (intentionally) intimidating steps to get up into the church.. it's doors were at street level - which I found unusual for such a grand building..and very welcoming. Domitian, 81 - 96 AD AE Sestertius, Rome Mint, 35mm, 30.75 grams Obverse: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GER M COS XIII CENS PER P P, Laureate head of Domitian right. Reverse: IOVI VICTORI S C, Jupiter seated left holding Victory and scepter. RIC526
The efforts of the fire fighters were enormous, as well as their sacrifices. Most of the artifacts were sheltered and rescued. Also the 2 towers remained standing. I chose 3 pictures that I've long kept as a souvenir from France. 1- Sarcophagus of Saint Maximin 2-Crypt of Saint Victor in Marseille 3-Volusian - Christian Inscription from the Museum of Borely in Marseille
I'm so happy to learn that more than a billion Euros have been pledged to rebuild this most important world icon.
My sister just told me Notre Dame was built on top of a temple to Isis. Not really surprising as sacred places often are recycled. Glad that the damage appears to be repairable. With over 1 billion euros in funding commitments it should be a very nice rebuild.
according to wikipedia: "It is believed that before the period of Christianity in France, a Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter stood on the site of Notre-Dame."
Maybe she is wrong. She also told me that it was dedicated to Osiris before Isis, which I thought was probably not Osiris but could have been Serapis. But I suppose it could easily have been Jupiter. Not sure what source she was quoting and I'm working today so I haven't had a chance to google it.
Hmmm... without looking it up, and since Romans stole religions and/or religious sites, I imagine the Gauls/Celts had a DRUID sanctioned shrine or alter before. Celts were always discriminated against or forgotten, cuz the Romans made it a mission to eradicate anything Druid or belief/religion of the ancient Celts... They were killed off and driven out of Europe, only to live out in the fringes like Wales, Scotland, Eire, Brittany, Man, Cornwall... Remember Ynys Môn! (Anglesey)
I’m not worried with the future reconstruction of Notre Dame de Paris. A hundred years ago, Reims Cathedral was badly damage by a fire. The lead in the roofing melted and the wooden interior was destroyed. Restoration work began in 1919, under the direction of architect Henri Deneux. The structure was rebuild using a revolutionary technique for this time : reinforced concrete. This new material was lighter than the wood and also fireproof. I would even say that the style of the 13th century building was finally preserved. After the terrible fire in 1914 The new reinforced concrete structure
I hear ya... I was pushed all the way to Canada (via Eire)!! P.S. I want it rebuilt like everyone else... but a billion Euro? Maybe build a few hospitals..