Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burning

[Lord Ash]

Not sure if everyone saw this, but Notre Dame is burning... a massive fire in the beautiful Parisian church. What a mess.

[fuse]

The pictures are heart wrenching.

[jimsumner]

Watching coverage of this on the news and it is indeed horrifying. Significant, perhaps catastrophic damage to a religious, cultural and artistic landmark.

[DarkstarWahoo]

Just gut-wrenching. No lives lost (hopefully) but history lost at an unimaginable scale.

One small consolation: I heard a report that a lot of artifacts had been removed due to the renovation. They're also trying to salvage some of the art in the back of the cathedral. I've seen reports that they're trying to protect the rose windows, but that's probably a lost cause.

[weezie]

OPK is over there now?!

He posted something about Montmartre, I think it was over the weekend.

[aimo]

This makes me want to throw up. For those of us who were able to visit it, be very thankful. Unbelievable loss of history, art, and architecture.

[OldPhiKap]

OPK is over there now?!

He posted something about Montmartre, I think it was over the weekend.

This is heartbreaking. Was there Saturday. Landed back in the States about two hours ago and heard the news.

I have been there several times and it is always stunning. Words fail me.

@BD80: there was scaffolding up on part of the outside facade, wonder if something renovation-wise went wrong.

[hallcity]

Notre Dame survived WWI and WWII with minimal damage but it's burning out of control today. Such a tragedy.

Rebuilding it will take many, many years.

Is there any hope that the rose windows will survive?

[throatybeard]

Notre Dame survived WWI and WWII with minimal damage but it's burning out of control today. Such a tragedy.

Rebuilding it will take many, many years.

Is there any hope that the rose windows will survive?

Before Sunset (2004)

Jesse: I heard this story once about when the Germans were occupying Paris and they had to retreat back. They wired Notre Dame to blow, but they had to leave one guy in charge of hitting the switch. And the guy, the soldier, he couldn't do it. You know, he just sat there, knocked out by how beautiful the place was. And then when the allied troops came in, they found all the explosives just lying there and the switch unturned, and they found the same thing at Sacre Couer, Eiffel Tower. Couple other places I think...

Celine: Is that true?

Jesse: I don't know. I always liked the story, though.

[Tappan Zee Devil]

Before Sunset (2004)

Jesse: I heard this story once about when the Germans were occupying Paris and they had to retreat back. They wired Notre Dame to blow, but they had to leave one guy in charge of hitting the switch. And the guy, the soldier, he couldn't do it. You know, he just sat there, knocked out by how beautiful the place was. And then when the allied troops came in, they found all the explosives just lying there and the switch unturned, and they found the same thing at Sacre Couer, Eiffel Tower. Couple other places I think...

Celine: Is that true?

Jesse: I don't know. I always liked the story, though.

The book "Is Paris Burning?" by Collins and Papierre tells the story of the German commander who could not follow Hitler's order to destroy the city as the Germans withdrew. It is a fascinating and well researched book.

[duke4ever19]

For me, that magnificent spire was heart of the city and I just saw it collapse.

[JNort]

Not a religious person in the slightest but this is heart wrenching. To see the destruction of hundreds of years worth of art, history, and architecture is beyond sad. I've always been afraid of something like that happening and here we are living to see it. Thankfully many artifacts are safe but the windows don't seem to stand much of a chance and that is heart breaking. Hopefully the crypts stay untouched as well.


I've heard something during the renovations is what started the fire.

[YmoBeThere]

I visited when we lived in Germany in ‘78-‘81 while my father was stationed there for the US Army. Hopefully/thankfully no loss of life. But watching the fire makes me sick to my stomach. Not since 17+ years ago have I had a similar feeling.

[CameronBlue]

This is one of the most depressing experiences of my lifetime short of the death of a family member. Paris offers examples of what humanity can be at its aspirational best, when humanity, as effed up as it can be, gets it right. Was last there for Christmas 2017. It's the height of hubris I suppose to utter but this loss just seems so personal; I can't describe it another way.

In any event hear's a 360 degree tour from CNN.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SIyf8hChRY

[Reddevil]

This is the loss of a world treasure. Profoundly sad.

[Reilly]

What burned: trees cut down in the 1160s, that had been growing since the 700s and 800s, per https://www.cnn.com/style/article/no...rnd/index.html

[HereBeforeCoachK]

heart sick over this...one of the world's treasures....

[aimo]

ndame.jpg

[Ggallagher]

This was a horrible tragedy, but I did have to scratch my head and smile about a comment in an article yesterday. It was describing the beginning of what is going to be the lengthy debate about how a rebuild should be done.

An argument was being made that rather then rebuilding the roof using large timbers as was originally done (which would be enormously challenging since France has no trees standing similar to those that burned) they should use modern roofing practices so the roof structure could have a longer life.

I'm not sure what modern practices we have available that a builder might provide an 850+ year guarantee for. Seems like the original roof structure actually lasted pretty well.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I'm not sure what modern practices we have available that a builder might provide an 850+ year guarantee for. Seems like the original roof structure actually lasted pretty well.

No reason to try and get another 850 on this rebuild. I'll be happy if they can rebuild at all to anything like it's former splendor.