Nine centuries of history lost to the unholy inferno
FROM far and wide, a dismal glow still bathes a dumbstruck City of Light. Here on the banks of the Seine, tens of thousands of people – of all nationalities – stare incredulously at the slow death of a part of France’s soul.
To describe the cathedral of Notre Dame as a national monument is a grave understatement. Imagine Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London all going up in smoke at the same time and you begin to appreciate the magnitude of this loss, except that Notre Dame attracts – or used to attract – twice as many annual visitors as those three London landmarks put together.
That is why, as news began to spread last night, Parisians flocked to the Seine. They came here not as voyeurs but as mourners. They came to pay their last respects. Some sang
‘They came to pay their last respects’
hymns. Many were in tears. Some brought flowers and cards to place they knew not where.
This is where France has crowned its kings and emperors and saluted the passing of its presidents. For centuries, worshippers felt secure in the knowledge that a fragment of Jesus Christ’s Crown of Thorns was lodged in the spire above their heads.
From medieval times, Notre Dame has marked the epochs in the story of this proud country and inspired one of the most famous literary masterpieces in the French language. This August marks the 75th anniversary of the day that General Charles De Gaulle marked the liberation of Paris within its walls, even as sporadic gunfire continued outside.
This is a city which was famously spared the destruction which world wars and revolution wreaked on so many other European capitals. It really did feel blessed; almost eternal. Not any more.
Its very own twin towers are now blackened stumps. By midnight, the flames had died down as the first glimmers of firemen’s torches could be seen in the remains. I joined what I can only describe as a requiem mass of Parisians chanting prayers on the Pont de Notre Dame.
‘At least the two towers are still standing, and they must stay up so that Notre Dame can be reborn,’ said civil servant Pascal Boichut, 52. There was a glimmer of hope last night when Paris fire brigade chief Jean-Claude Gallet told reporters: ‘We consider that the main structure of Notre Dame has been preserved.’ He added that it appeared the two main towers of the building had also been saved.
Fire crews will work overnight to cool down the structure, Mr Gallet said. Also at the scene, French
president Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild Notre Dame, and said he will seek international help to do so.
Dear old Paris has taken a battering of late. It is just four years since the twin terrorist atrocities of the attacks on the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, and the massacre at the Bataclan concert hall.
No lives have been lost at the cathedral, of course. Yet there is a palpable ‘Je Suis Charlie’-style emotion in Paris, along with a similar sense of global sympathy and solidarity as tributes and condolences pour in from around the world.
It is hard to avoid this grisly spectacle from any part of central Paris. This is a city which has always favoured a low-rise building policy at its heart in order to preserve the grandeur of its architectural masterpieces. Until the Eiffel Tower came along in the 19th century, Notre Dame was the city’s mightiest skyscraper.
Its location on an island in the
Seine has always enhanced its prominence. Last night, it had the effect of making France’s suffering all the more visible. Even worse than last night’s conflagration, however, will be the cold light of dawn – as France awakes to find it is not just missing a much-loved landmark. It is missing a limb.
The blaze is believed to have broken out in the church’s loft, near renovation work, before spreading to the spire and roof. A ‘stray flame’ linked to the £5 million restoration project is thought to have sparked the inferno at 6.30pm local time. It began just minutes after the building was closed to the public.
Declaring a national emergency, Mr Macron said the fire destroyed not only the historic place of worship but a part of every citizen of France. ‘Our Lady of Paris in flames,’ he tweeted. ‘Emotion of a whole nation. Thought for all Catholics and for all French. Like all our countrymen, I’m sad tonight to see this part of us burn.’
Questions were immediately raised about how the fire could have got out of control so quickly at one of the world’s most visited – and most beloved – landmarks. The firefighting response was also questioned, as few, if any, high-pressure water hoses were able to reach the roof in the first hour. Critically, the Paris prosecutor has already opened an inquiry.
The blaze was first reported at 6.50pm, with the spire toppling little more than an hour later.
Flames licked across the upper part of the building, with smoke and ash billowing into the sky. The roof crashed shortly afterwards, causing the blaze to spread to the entire frame of the building.
At 8.30pm, firemen were seen carrying priceless works of art to safety.
‘I’m devastated,’ said Elizabeth Caille, 58, who lives near the cathedral. ‘It’s a symbol of Paris. It’s a symbol of Christianity. It’s a whole world that is collapsing.’
Ed Kelly, from Canada, said: ‘This is the first time I’ve seen the cathedral up close, and it’s on fire. It’s heartbreaking.’
Jacek Poltorak, who watched the disaster unfold from a fifth-floor balcony to the south of the cathedral, said: ‘Basically the whole rooftop is gone. I see no hope for the building.’
By 10.30pm, firemen said, the cathedral’s famous 13th-century stained glass Rose windows had been destroyed. ‘They
‘It’s a whole world that is collapsing’
exploded because of the heat of the blaze,’ said one. French police added that one fireman had been seriously injured.
The New York Police Department’s counter-terrorism department last night said it was ‘closely monitoring’ the fire – but French officials maintained it was caused by accident.
However, France has seen a spate of attacks against Catholic churches this year, with acts of desecration ranging from vandalism to arson.
Last month, the iconic Church of St Sulpice in Paris was set on fire just after Sunday midday mass. Firefighters said they were confident the blaze was arson.
And in February, a statue of the Virgin Mary was smashed in the St Nicholas Catholic Church in Houilles, in northcentral France, while an altar cloth was burned and crosses and statues of saints smashed in Saint-Alain Cathedral in Lavaur, in the south-central region.
Notre Dame – which means ‘Our Lady’ – is visited by 12 million people every year. Located on the Ile de la Cite, the Gothic cathedral is among the most famous from the Middle Ages and was built on the ruins of two earlier churches.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted: ‘Tonight we pray for the firefighters tackling the tragic Notre Dame fire – and for everyone in France and beyond who watches and weeps for this beautiful, sacred place where millions have met with Jesus Christ.’
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, said: ‘The shock at the outbreak of this fire is spreading around the world. It is an iconic building visited by millions, but more importantly it is a symbol of faith which is at the heart of Europe.’
A Vatican spokesman said: ‘ The Holy See has seen with shock and sadness the news of the terrible fire that has devastated the Cathedral of Notre Dame.’