Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is one of the main religious, historical and cultural attractions not only in France, but throughout Europe. This Catholic church is the cathedral center of the Parisian archdiocese. Located in the eastern part of the capital.
On Monday, April 15, 2019, not only residents of France, but the whole world were shocked by the news of the fire of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. Its consequences led to depressing results - a strong fire was formed, which enveloped the shrine of the entire Catholic cultural and religious world.
Historical information about the cathedral
The magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral was built for two centuries. The first work on the construction of the central Catholic church in France began in 1163 under the government of Louis VII. The laying of the first stone in the temple was made by Pope Alexander III in the same year 1963. By 1177, the main walls of the cathedral were erected, and already in 1182 the altar was consecrated, after which services could already be held in the temple.
The construction took a long time, because the architecture of the building assumed several limits and the entire structure according to the project was a large-scale structure. In 1200, construction began on the famous façade with two world-famous towers. Forty years later, the southern bell tower was erected, and a decade later, the northern one.
From the period 1250 to 1351, construction continued. The spiers of the cathedral were erected, destroyed during the French Revolution, but then restored only in the 1840s. By 1315, work came to an end on the rich interior decoration of the temple. And 1345 is considered the time of completion of construction. However, after that, the beautification of the territory continued.
Causes and consequences of the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral
The date April 15, 2019 will go down in the history of France as a tragic day, because, according to the president of the country, not just a building burned down, but a symbol, the history of Paris and France.
The fire started on the evening of April 15, 2019. According to experts, the cause of the fire was restoration work. How exactly they influenced the emergence of the fire is not yet specified, it is only known that the temple was surrounded by high scaffolding, through which the fire easily spread to the building itself. According to reports, the height of the scaffolding reached hundreds of meters.
The consequences of the fire for Notre Dame Cathedral were tragic. The fire destroyed most of the roof of the temple (according to available information, 2/3 of the entire roof was damaged). The famous clock of the temple burned down, the spire of Notre Dame de Paris collapsed. At the same time, experts report that the frame of the main walls of the cathedral, although it was caught on fire, still survived.
On April 16, the fire was extinguished by the efforts of four hundred firefighters. Currently, representatives of firefighters are monitoring the situation to prevent repeated focal fires.
Many shrines and relics of the cathedral have been lost. But there are those that were saved. The altar of the cathedral, the crown of thorns of the Lord Jesus Christ, the tunic of St. Ludwig have been preserved. Several paintings, significant for history and culture, were also saved.
French President Emmanuel Macron made a promise that the cathedral would be rebuilt. The damage from the fire has not yet been fully assessed, and experts indicate that the restoration of the temple may take up to ten years.
