Obviously this is a tragedy. The art alone that adorns the cathedral will be a loss to us all. I did, however, see irony in Joan of Arc being burned at the stake and the Joan of Arc statute in the cathedral being consumed by fire.
OT: Notre Dame Cathedral
- Thread starter clob94
- Start date
It is a staggering loss for Western Civilization. There is so much collective history and priceless art that is housed there. I have heard that much of the art has been saved and I pray that is so. When I saw the news I felt like I had been punched in the gut. As a practicing Catholic the Cathedral of Notre Dame is iconic and I see so many people in my Facebook feed reacting with shock to this event. Many of these are not terribly religious people. That impact on them speaks to the stature that this cathedral had in the minds of so many in the West. I am truly fortunate to have been able to visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame with my family last summer. Those memories will be even more cherished now.....
Many people don't realize that beneath the cathedral was catacombs and chambers (anti-chambers) that house priceless documents as well as human remains. Unfortunately by dumping all that water on the fire, that water has to go somewhere. I'm willing to bet the bulk of it funneled down into these rooms and destroyed probably everything down there.
The photos from inside the cathedral are slowly emerging and it's as bad as you would imagine. The building looks like it was bombed from the air. A BDA would probably say the building was 50% destroyed.
The organ is gone--- the stained glass, widely considered to be the standard that all other stained glass is compared to, was held in place by lead. Lead melts easily---- alas, that stained glass is gone forever and can never be replaced.
Now it's time for the great rebuild. Between the Catholic churches bankroll and a French billionaire that offered to donate $100 million dollars to restore it, throw some French funding from Macron on top of that, and this will be a VERY long and VERY expensive rebuild.
The photos from inside the cathedral are slowly emerging and it's as bad as you would imagine. The building looks like it was bombed from the air. A BDA would probably say the building was 50% destroyed.
The organ is gone--- the stained glass, widely considered to be the standard that all other stained glass is compared to, was held in place by lead. Lead melts easily---- alas, that stained glass is gone forever and can never be replaced.
Now it's time for the great rebuild. Between the Catholic churches bankroll and a French billionaire that offered to donate $100 million dollars to restore it, throw some French funding from Macron on top of that, and this will be a VERY long and VERY expensive rebuild.
