Destructive Fire at Notre Dame
April 16, 2019
Yesterday, on April 15, a destructive fire broke out at the famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The fire, which most likely started accidentally during restoration work, destroyed the central spire and much of the cathedral’s roof. However, the main structure and the famous bell towers survived. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged that the historic symbol of France would be repaired and reopened.
Flames and smoke billow from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, on April 15, 2019. Credit: © Veronique de Viguerie, Getty Images
Notre Dame Cathedral stands on the Île de la Cité, a small island in the Seine River in the center of Paris. The Catholic cathedral is dedicated to Notre Dame, French for Our Lady (the Virgin Mary). The cathedral is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture. A number of other cathedrals are also named Notre Dame, including those in Amiens, Chartres, and Reims, France.
Notre Dame’s steeple and central spire collapse during a destructive fire on April 15, 2019. Credit: © Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt, AFP/Getty Images
The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris stands on the site of two earlier churches. Construction of the present building occurred from 1163 to 1250. Notre Dame was one of the first buildings to have flying buttresses (arched exterior supports). The buttresses strengthen the walls and permit the use of large stained-glass windows that allow light to enter the building. The cathedral’s main entrances are elaborately decorated with stone sculptures.
During the French Revolution in the late 1700′s, Notre Dame was heavily damaged by mobs that regarded the church as a symbol of the hated monarchy. Beginning in 1845, the French architect Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc directed extensive restorations of Notre Dame. He also added the tall central spire (destroyed in yesterday’s fire) to replace an older wooden spire that had been removed some years earlier because it had fallen into disrepair. Viollet-le-Duc was responsible for much of the cathedral’s present appearance.
