Notre Dame Cathedral in better times
A major fire has broken out at the medieval Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Monday afternoon, leading firefighters to clear the area around one of the city's most visited landmarks.
Very sad news for devout religious, art lovers, and historians.
There's a massive fire in the Paris Notre Dame Cathedral this afternoon. It happened on the most holiest week in the Catholic Church, Jesus' last days on earth before being killed by religious fanatics and Roman authorities.
The authorities have anticipated a massive loss of historic ecclesiastical art, precious relics in its treasury, and numerous artwork inside the cathedral.
The cathedral has been the symbol of Paris for centuries before it was displaced by the Eiffel Tower.
Much of Parisian history had taken place in Notre Dame Cathedral. Mary Queen of Scots was married there. Napoleon was crowned emperor in the early nineteenth century. It was the historic heart of French kings and has survived both world wars, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic revolution, and so much more.
In literature and movies, Notre Dame has been the subject of Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was made into a popular animated movie by Disney back in 1996.
Several versions of the Hunchback of Notre Dame were made into movies for decades besides the popular Disney classic in 1996.
The roof of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral collapsed as a massive fire ripped through the structure on Monday, days before Easter.
As of Monday afternoon, the spire of the cathedral had fallen, and the fire had spread to one of its rectangular towers.
Paris Mayor Anne Hildago and firefighters warned people to stay away from the area. There have been no confirmed deaths, according to Paris police, while a French government official said no injuries had yet been reported. Four hundred firefighters are working to put out the blaze, according to the Ministry of the Interior for France.
NBC News tweets on the fire at the cathedral:
NBC News tweets on the fire at the cathedral:
WATCH: Notre Dame's spire collapses into the flames, video from witness Nicolas Marang shows. nbcnews.to/2DcYrJs pic.twitter.com/gHhwMrRYmS
The area surrounding the cathedral, Paris’ Ile de la Cite, is in the process of being evacuated, according to Reuters.
No injuries were reported in the early stages of the blaze. It was not immediately clear what had caused the fire, while local media reported that police in the city were treating it as an accident. The Paris Prosecutor’s office announced that it has started an inquiry into the fire.
Major relics may be lost in the fire. The most prominent is the Crown of Thorns. Others were connected to the relics of French King Saint Louis such as his hair shirt. Numerous jewels and religious artwork inside the cathedral are said to be lost in the fire.
Here's a tweet from Andrew Curry:
Major relics may be lost in the fire. The most prominent is the Crown of Thorns. Others were connected to the relics of French King Saint Louis such as his hair shirt. Numerous jewels and religious artwork inside the cathedral are said to be lost in the fire.
Here's a tweet from Andrew Curry:
wow. Let's hope such an iconic and historic building can survive this fire. #NotreDame #notredamefire #notredamecathedral #paris #france
Emergency services also attempted to salvage the artwork stored in the cathedral, which had been undergoing renovations.
Here's a list of important relics:
Crown of Thorns
Piece of a Cross
Hair Shirt of St. Louis
14th and 15th century religious statues are endangered as well.
Here's a list of important relics:
Crown of Thorns
Piece of a Cross
Hair Shirt of St. Louis
14th and 15th century religious statues are endangered as well.
It's very sad that 800 years of art and religious history is being erased before our eyes. History books and photos that preserved the memories of Notre Dame for art lovers and religious devotees forever.
Before I conclude this post, I'd like to share a favorite of mine:
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