The flames are out, thank God -- and the bell towers were saved. So were the rose stained-glass windows, though some sections were obviously damaged.
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| The 'before' version. From tripmemos.com, via Pinterest |
Notre Dame is still standing. Sort of.
A number of artifacts cannot be accounted for, though many others were saved. A brave priest, among others, managed to grab a number of items, including a crown of thorns reputed to have been worn by Christ Himself.
Black soot and damaged beams are everywhere, particularly from the roof, where the fire seems to have started. Fire is not a respecter of anything.
Can they rebuild this 850-year-old beauty?
Of course...but it will not be the same. It will be something different.
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During the late Seventies, I had a chance to visit Nuremberg, Germany -- including their cathedral. I had grown up in a Baptist church, which disdained such fripperies, and was awed by the building's lovely Gothic design, including its huge rose window.
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| From Gobeyondbounds.com, via Pinterest |
To my surprise, at least part of the cathedral's back roof was open to the sky. Wartime damage, I was told, left unrepaired on purpose. As a reminder. (And, I suspect, an impetus for fundraising.)
Ironically, the following video says the church was repaired in the 1960s. That's not what I remember.
It's obviously fixed now.
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| via Pinterest |
I wonder, since the roof is now gone, if this will happen to Notre Dame, too.
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