Treasures that resisted the fire of Notre Dame

Paris France was still in shock after the hell and flames that threatened Monday over 12 hours to devour the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral.

The fire destroyed the needle and part of the roof, but its steeples and much of its relics were kept, kept inside.

In a speech to the whole country, President Emmanuel Macron said that the restoration of the building would take about five years, but that the work would be "more beautiful" than the current one.

"We are a city of entrepreneurs, we have a lot to rebuild, and we are going to rebuild it, even more beautiful," said the president of the Elysee.

"I want it to be over in five years, we can do it, and for that we will mobilize," he added.

At a time when the president's face was questioned by sectors of society protesting with the movement of "yellow vests", Macron took the opportunity to call for unity.

"We have to take advantage of the disaster to reflect on who we are and who we are, to improve ourselves," he said. He added: "The fire of Notre-Dame reminds us that our history never stops, that there will always be difficulties to overcome, that what we believe indestructible can be damaged. , material, spiritual and alive, is fragile, we must not forget it. "

What was saved

After the disaster, there remained a blackened structure of the monument immortalized by Victor Hugo in his novel of 1831, Notre Dame of Paris, a building that has survived almost 900 years of the tumultuous history of France, but was ravaged by the flames in the midst of renovations at the beginning of Holy Week.

The temple's iconic steeples seemed intact and, according to the authorities, the organs of 8,000 pipes and other relics also survived almost intact, thanks to the fact that firefighters quickly put in place a plan to safeguard several cultural heritage works.

The deputy mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, expressed "enormous relief" from the authorities in view of the good condition of several relics, such as the Crown of Christ, who were moved to "a secret place" after the fire.

In addition, several statues were saved and were removed a few days ago for restoration work.

"The task, now that there is no more risk of fire, is to restore the building and see how the structure can hold," said deputy minister of the ministry. Interior, Laurent Nunez.

One of the vicars of Paris, Philippe Marsset, said: "If God intervened in this case, it is inspiring the courage of the firefighters."

At the same time, the Archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, said: "Notre Dame Cathedral was destroyed, but not the soul of the French."

The authorities believe that the fire was due to an accident, possibly as a result of the restoration work.

"The symbolism of Notre Dame is irrecoverable"

The restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral is possible, given that France "may have the knowledge to do it", but something "irrecoverable and its symbolic value" has been lost, said l & # 39; architect Emiliano Cruz Michelena about the task of reconstruction. .