Fire And Redemption: The Spirited History Of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral

Paris’ iconic Notre Dame is ablaze during Holy Week. The cathedral is a religious and architectural world treasure. Its Christian relics are said to include part of Jesus Christ’s Crown of Thorns from the Crucifixion. Between 30,000 to 50,000 people visit daily. But fire (the destructive force that twice spared the USA’s White House and destroyed Italy’s Basilica of Saint Paul Outside The Walls) doesn’t discriminate based on historical relevance.

Everyone who visits Notre Dame is awe-struck by its beauty. Today, the same rings true but only because its majestic skyline spire, remarkable flying trusses, ribbed vaults, soaring bell towers and mesmerizing rose windows are in jeopardy from the flames—searing sadness into the world’s collective psyche.

That includes Pope Francis, Catholics worldwide, French President Emmanuel Macron, Parisians, cardinals, bishops, nuns, architects, artists, Europeans, Americans—the entire globe which watches in shock, shaken to their foundation. It’s no overstatement to suggest Notre-Dame represents civilization itself, as 20th century art historian Lord Kenneth Clark once suggested. 

“It’s a cathedral of all French citizens and even those who haven’t visited,” said French president Emmanuel Macron. “It is our common history, and it is burning. Over 800 years ago, we were able to erect this cathedral and improve it, so I tell you tonight, we will rebuild this cathedral. We will call on the greatest talent, and we will rebuild Notre-Dame. It is what the French expect of us. It is what history deserves. It is our destiny.”

“Our Lady of Paris” will never be the same. Nor will the world, post- April 15, 2019. This is supposed to be tax day, instead it’s merely taxing.

(As this is written, it’s in the present tense. By the end, it could be charred in past tense embers. That’s the unfortunate truth as the fire still rages.)

Notre Dame is perhaps the world’s finest example of French Gothic architecture. Construction on the cathedral began in medieval times—1160 in the Romanesque style, eventually morphing into its final Gothic style. The west façade towers (where bells toll) were added in the 13th century (between 1220-1250). Flying buttresses were added in the 14th century.

(Halfway through this story, it appears belfry is saved as Parisians applaud firefighters.)

“Notre Dame represents what’s most noble, what’s most uplifting,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, where people are gathering in support of Paris.

It took 300 years to build Notre Dame and mere hours to lose the roof, statues, spire, nave, apse, transept, ambulatory, and choir as rampaging flames are fueled by all that made the cathedral special—wooden joists, artistic treasures, wood sculptures, lead paintings, gargoyles, stained glass, etc.

“As it happens I was in Paris yesterday afternoon sketching the cathedral,” said World Trade Center master architect Daniel Libeskind. “I am deeply saddened by the news of the fire. The Cathedral of Notre Dame is a paragon of beauty. Its loss cannot be calculated as it is the soul of western architecture. I hope its spirit can be resurrected.”

This historic cathedral is/was virtually the same one witnessed by Napoleon Bonaparte, King Louis IX, Saint Bonaventure, and Pope Alexander III, who witnessed the laying of the cornerstone in 1163.

(As we come to grips with the destruction, unfortunately, it’s time to change tense.)

It cannot be lost that Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter approach this weekend. Notre Dame was a house of worship that just celebrated Palm Sunday (Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem). The cathedral was a stage for masses, coronations (Henry VI and Napoleon) and state funerals. Here, Napoleon returned the cathedral to the Catholic Church (1801) and anointed himself emperor by taking the crown from the hands of Pope Pius VII (1804).

Notre Dame survived the French Revolution, World War I, World War II, sacrilegious cults, pollution, complacency, budget constraints and protests. The cathedral was plundered during the revolution, including the beheading of statues in the Gallery of Kings.

In the 19th century, it fell into ruin, until Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame in English) inspired its renovation by French architects Jean-Baptiste-Antoine and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who created the modern 295-foot-high spire that collapsed today.

That spire once held ancient religious relics, like the fragment from the Crown of Thorns which were transferred to Notre Dame’s Treasury long ago. The good news: most of the iconic relics have been spared—Notre Dame’s altar and golden cross; The Great Organ; The Tunic of St. Louis (King Louis IX’s robe); the Crown of Thorns (saved by the Paris fire brigade chaplain); and 16 copper apostle and evangelist statues previously removed from the peak (for the first time in a century) to be cleaned.

During World War II, the cathedral was damaged by stray bullets—albeit not razed as Hitler ordered all of Paris burned (fortunately, his general disobeyed). The Rockefeller family helped refurbish Notre Dame post-war.

In 1944, France celebrated liberation from the Germans as Charles de Gaulle marched on horseback all the way to Notre Dame for a Te Deum religious service. In 1963 the cathedral commemorated its 800th anniversary. Recently, Notre Dame was under a $6.8 million renovation, wrapped in scaffolding that withstood flames longer than the roof did. Officials will investigate whether renovation was a factor in the blaze.

“This great Gothic cathedral, devastated during the French Revolution but restored to life in the 19th century, embodied medieval France’s significant leap upward, toward light and ineffable space, while serving as a vessel for their religious rites and passages,” says American Institute of Architects executive vice president/CEO Robert Ivy (FAIA).

“We share the sorrow of the French people as they come to terms with this loss and stand with them as they recover and look to rebuild one of the world’s architectural treasures. It can and must be rebuilt for future generations, reflecting their hopes and needs.”

Basilica of St. Pauls Outside The Wall in Rome burnt down in 1823 and was rebuilt by the entire world. Based on Macron’s statement, Notre Dame will be as well. Tonight and this weekend, millions will pray for that.

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.