François-Henri Pinault, husband of Salma Hayek, will donate 100 million euros for the reconstruction of Notre Dame

PARIS – Millionaires and private donors mobilized in recent hours to finance the long-term and costly reconstruction of

Notre-Dame cathedral

Paris, destroyed in part by a devastating fire.

The magnate François-Henri Pinault, husband of

Salma Hayek

and the owner of Kering, a luxury fashion empire with brands such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Puma and Fnac, announced that they would give 100 million euros to rebuild this iconic cathedral.

For its part, French billionaire Bernard Arnault announced today that his group LVMH, specializing in luxury goods and better known under the name of Louis Vuitton, will pay 200 million euros for reconstruction.

The President of France,

Emmanuel Macron

, said in front of the Notre-Dame facade that France will "rebuild" the cathedral and called for a national and international collection.

An hour later, Pinault announced in a statement that he would give, with his father, François Pinault, 100 million euros. "This tragedy has touched all the French and all those who are related to spiritual values." Faced with such a drama, everyone wants to give life to this jewel of our heritage, "said the tycoon, husband of the Mexican actress.

Salma Hayek

His father, François Pinault, is 82 years old and has become an influential collector of contemporary art in the world after being one of the most powerful businessmen of the country. The man founded the Kering empire in 1992. His son, François-Henri Pinault, has been running it since 2003.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, announced today that the city would finance the reconstruction to the tune of 50 million euros and proposed an international conference to coordinate donations and restore the building.

The Heritage Foundation, a privately funded French organization, has launched a call for donations on its website. Similar calls have also been made to the Leetchi crowdfunding website.

The fire at Notre Dame

After the tragedy, the structural damage of the Gothic building is enormous. Firefighters, who managed to stop the fire before it reached the north facade, worked all night to extinguish the fire.

Despite the ferocity of the flames, they managed in the early hours of fire to save important works of art and relics such as the crown of thorns of Jesus Christ or the nails of his crucifixion.

Notre Dame is the most visited monument in France and one of the masterpieces of Gothic art. In addition, it is closely related to the history of the European country. Among the other events that took place there was the place chosen by Napoleon for his coronation emperor in December 1804 and the scene on which took place the celebrations of the liberation of Paris from Nazism, with a religious service on 26. August 1944

AFP and Telam agencies