Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris from Across the River Seine
I was shocked when I learned about the fire at the Notre Dame de Paris. The massive gothic cathedral is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site listing under the name Paris, Banks of the Seine. The news of the fire spread like wildfire and everyone was prepared for the worst. This may sound selfish but all I could think of it was that it might burn down before I could even enter the cathedral. While the fire damage was extensive, much of the structure of the church was saved, thus preventing a bigger catastrophe. The entire roof and spire of the cathedral was lost. It is said that there was an electrical fault which caused the fire and the very dry materials there caused the fire to spread rapidly.
Boats on the River Seine
Two years after the fire, the structure of the church was reinforced to make sure that it won’t collapse. It is only then that the actual reconstruction can begin. France will be footing the bill for the reconstruction as the state actually owns the cathedral. The church only makes use of it for free. Still, donations have poured in all over the world for the reconstruction of the cathedral. There is a target of 2024 for the reopening of the cathedral in time for the Paris Olympics but only time would be able to tell if they can compress hundreds of years of construction into two years. At the very least, the cathedral would be in good enough condition for people to visit even if the reconstruction process hasn’t been completed.
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