Honoring Notre Dame
On Monday evening, a major fire erupted in the attic of Notre Dame. It blazed for 10 hours, fueled by the Cathedral’s wooden frame. Tourists the world over have shared their memories of visiting Notre Dame and lamented the damage to this jewel at the heart of Paris. But the 800-year-old cathedral still stands, and there is much to be hopeful and thankful for. Find out more about the history of Notre Dame, Monday’s tragedy and the future of this iconic monument.
Un Peu d’Histoire
Notre Dame has dominated the banks of the Seine for over 850 years, standing on the Ile-de-la-Cité. The first stone was laid by Pope Alexander III in 1163, and it would take about 100 years before the Cathedral was complete. It is a textbook example of Gothic architectural style, decorated with numerous stained-glass windows, ornate statuary, flying buttresses, soaring spires and finely detailed carvings. It is no wonder that for many this is considered France’s most famous church.
A Previous Narrow Escape
It is only thanks to Victor Hugo that the Cathedral still stands today. He wrote The Hunchback of Notre Dame in an effort to save the monument, which was in severe disrepair and falling apart. There were talks of demolishing it to build a mall, but the book was so popular that people began to call for its renovation instead, hoping to find traces of Quasimodo and Esmeralda within its walls. As a result, in the nineteenth century, the Cathedral underwent a massive restoration effort. A new spire was added (to replace the 13th-spire that had been destroyed during the French Revolution), and a number of statues were repaired (their heads had been removed by angry revolutionaries). New stained-glass windows were added and others were enlarged.
The Fire Rages
Shortly before the Cathedral closed on Monday, the fire alarm went off and worshipers were ushered out of the building, but no fire was detected. Twenty minutes later when a second alarm sounded, the fire was already spreading out of control. It was located in “the Forest”, the Cathedral’s wooden frame which separates the ceiling and the roof. Most of the beams dated back to the 12th century and provided dry kindling for the fire. In a matter of minutes, the entire frame inside the 750-ton spire had caught fire and could no longer hold the weight, sending it crashing into the Cathedral below. Within a few hours, the entire roof was ablaze. Nearly 500 firefighters worked tirelessly through the night and were finally able to fully extinguish the fire by 10 AM the next morning.
The fire spread incredibly quickly, fueled by a cross work of 1,300 wooden beams. The oak trees used in the construction of the Forest covered 21 hectares. Although firefighters arrived on site within 10 minutes, it took longer for some of the larger trucks and machinery to navigate the narrow Parisian streets, as Notre Dame sits in the oldest part of Paris. There were no modern firewalls or sprinkler systems in place so as not to alter the original frame, a controversial decision that will no doubt be reviewed in the wake of this tragedy. As a result, the fire spread throughout the 100-meter long attic unimpeded. It was also impossible to dump water from the sky because of the fragile nature of the stone structure below the roof.
A Race to Save Priceless Artifacts
The firefighters of Paris train for these situations. In fact, they had conducted two drills at Notre Dame just last year. So they were able to leap into action right away to save many of the precious artifacts within. They formed a chain of 100 people, led by the fire department’s chaplain, to recover as many pieces as they could. Thanks to their heroic efforts, many priceless items were saved from destruction, including the crown of thorns.
Inspectors have still not been able to enter the unstable building, but they suspect the fire was caused by an accident related to the restoration work that was being done on site. Experts are still working to secure the structural integrity of the building, and a number of statues have been removed to lessen the weight.
A Close Call
When it became clear that the fire might spread to the bell towers, firefighters entered the building at great personal risk to fight the fire from within. If the largest bell, Emmanuelle, had crashed through the stone of the bell tower, it would have had a domino effect on the entire Cathedral. According to the Deputy Minister of the Interior, firefighters had a window of only 30 minutes to prevent that catastrophe. They also fought to keep the flames away from the north rose window, which contains original stained-glass from the 13th century.
Damaged but Defiant
The fire on the roof looked horrific and many people feared the worst, but the ceiling remained mostly intact and the interior was protected from the worst of the blaze.
- Many of the relics stored within the Cathedral were saved by firemen, including the crown of thorns and the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle.
- Several paintings have been sent to the Louvre to be treated for smoke damage.
- Just days before the fire, the 16 bronze statues on the spire had been removed as part of the restoration efforts.
- All three rose windows survived, although the lead that holds the glass in place may need to be redone after suffering such intense heat.
- The 15th-century organ was spared by the flames but may have taken some water damage.
- The gold cross and statues surrounding the altar appear relatively untouched.
- The bells and bell towers remain intact.
- Three beehives sheltering 180,000 bees located on the roof survived. The bees were only put to sleep by the smoke!
Looking to the Future
President Macron has called for Notre Dame to be restored within five years, and approximately 1 billion euros have already been donated to that cause by large and small donors around the world. In the meantime, the Mayor of Paris has approved plans to build a temporary wooden cathedral on the esplanade in front of Notre Dame where its congregation can meet until it reopens.
