Up In Flames

On the evening of April 25, a paramount pinnacle of French Gothic architecture and religious monument went up in flames during the cathedral’s renovation. Construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral first began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully, who wanted to build a monument to his own administration. Construction was largely done around the 13th century, but the building was not open to the public until roughly 1345. Since then, it has seen countless revolutions, wars, sieges, and all other acts of history in the making. Most notable among these events would be the French Revolution that left half of the cathedral’s religious imagery largely destroyed, and it wasn’t restored until the mid to late 19th century. Notre Dame also doubled as a religious museum of sorts, housing prized artifacts such as the Crown of Thorns which Jesus wore, bits of the cross he was crucified on, and a 13th century organ.

Architecturally speaking, the cathedral’s stained glass windows and Gothic arches have captivated visitors and historians alike. Their importance is due to the fact that the glass pieces are all originals from the 13th century and have somehow managed to be kept in near perfect condition. The way the cathedral was built reflects an entire century, a time period in which we will never experience personally but one we can read about and at one point could step into thanks to Notre Dame. Luckily, the rose windows were salvaged and so far seem to be unharmed, but the same cannot be said for the wooden latticework scattered throughout the building. Other architectural pieces that managed to survive the fire include a copper rooster, the unofficial symbol for France, that sat atop the collapsed spire.

Among the list of things that were salvaged includes the Crown of Thorns, pieces of the True Cross, one Holy Nail, the tunic of St. Louis, and a plethora of major artworks (such as the “Mays de Notre Dame”) that will be housed at the Louvre until further notice to ensure that they are cared for properly. Not all artifacts were so lucky. In the list of unconfirmed or destroyed treasures are the gargoyles and chimeras that sat atop the outside ridge of the cathedral, nearly seventy percent of all artworks housed, the roof, the spire, and the wooden structure. A human chain formed inside and outside of the cathedral in hopes to save as many objects as possible while bystanders looked on in horror. Despite that valiant effort, most of irreplaceable art is gone, and we are left grappling onto the artwork and artifacts firefighters managed to recover.

As of right now, there are two theories circulating about the cause of the fire after the investigation opened when the site was deemed safe to be on. The first theory is that a cigarette butt belonging to one of the workers hired to assist with renovations hit a material pile and ignited the disastrous flames The second theory suggests that a short circuit committed the deed. Many have come to defend the French smokers, using Billy Joel’s famous song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” as a slogan. French police and scientists are reluctant to believe that a single cigarette butt was the reason behind this massive loss, but the investigation persists nonetheless.