Notre Dame

May 15th, 2019

Written By - Bridget O'Shea

On the night of April the 15th, the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France blazed as a fire ravaged the roof of the building. The Cathedral has long stood as a globally recognized symbol of France and the Catholic Church. Serving as a testament to the strength of the French spirit, it has remained standing hundreds of years after its completion in 1345. For this reason, news of the cathedral alight with flames distressed many people around the world, Christians and non-Christians alike.

When the first fire alarm was triggered at 6:20 pm, most people who had been attending mass in the cathedral were quickly evacuated and few remained in the building when officials found the fire in the wooden framework of the roof at 6:43 pm, after a second alarm had gone off. Luckily, no one was killed in this incident, but some firefighters were greatly injured. While officials know that the fire is to some extent a result of the renovations being done on the cathedral, the specifics have not yet been confirmed. However, fire investigators have recently uncovered two likely causes: multiple electric installations near the spire, including 6 bells, and cigarettes butts on the scaffolding left by the construction workers. Whatever the cause, the fire destroyed wooden framework that had endured since the Middle Ages, thereby irrevocably altering the cathedral.

As ashes fell and flames from the cathedral lit up the sky, hundreds of Parisians came together to pray, sing, and just stand in silence, simply wanting to be with one another. Through the work of 500 firemen, the fire was eventually put out after 12 hours. Although some works of art were destroyed by the blaze, many works were salvaged, such as linen fabric associated with Saint Louis. Unfortunately, two-thirds of the roof of the cathedral had been destroyed by the flames. However, from the flames, Paris emerged anew, united by their common grief and determination to restore this global symbol of the power of Paris, symbolism which was only strengthened through this event. Attempts to restore Notre Dame to its former glory have revealed not only the perseverance of Paris and brought together its people, but it has also united the world through a shared commitment to restoring a piece of artwork central to the identity of a nation, reaching across religious and national boundaries to achieve this goal.