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Chico Harlan
Head of Rome office covering the south of Europe and sometimes beyond
James McAuley
Correspondent abroad on French and European politics and culture
April 16th at 3:35 pm
PARIS – With its iconic scorched but still standing cathedral, France was confronted Tuesday the day after a fire that destroyed a symbol of the nation and which, according to authorities, would probably have started by accident.
The fire was extinguished and the smoke was dispelled from the sky when French officials opened an investigation into what sparked Notre-Dame's hell and an badessment of the structural soundness of the church's stone façade.
On Tuesday, from certain angles, it was almost possible to look in front of the church – see its two rectangular bell towers and carved statues – and imagine that everything was intact. Much of the precious art and relics had been saved. Even the exquisite stained glbad windows remained in place, apparently safe from the flames of the day before.
But this belies the gloomy account of all that has been lost, and how the religious and architectural monument of the center of Paris has been modified. The church's iconic bell tower, part of the Parisian landscape since the mid-19th century, was engulfed by the flames. Traces of charcoal and smoke licked portions of the walls. And the roof – built with centuries-old wood – was destroyed like straw, leaving gaping holes letting sunlight enter the cathedral on Tuesday.
Officials warned that Notre Dame could still present extremely dangerous vulnerabilities, especially in the booming vault. But some government officials ventured into the interior and camera footage showed charred debris in front of the still intact benches.
In a speech to the nation, French President Emmanuel Macron called the firefighters heroic and said he hoped the country would rebuild Notre Dame in five years – a faster schedule than the one proposed by the experts.
"We need to get things done now," said Macron. "We will act and we will succeed."
He said that the cathedral would become "even more beautiful than before."
Throughout the world, private donations totaling more than $ 700 million have been donated for reconstruction. Paris and tourists lined up along the Seine. They testified on bridges where police had banned access to the site.
[The fall of Notre Dame is a body blow to Paris and all it represents]
The French Interior Minister said more than 500 firefighters were mobilized Monday to help extinguish the flames that had left the city's skyline covered with smoke. But questions remained as to whether there had been warning signs.
The Paris prosecutor, Rémy Heitz, established a schedule in which a first alarm was triggered at 18:20, but no sign of fire was found. A fire was detected only 23 seconds later, a second alarm was triggered.
"In the meantime, the church was evacuated because a mbad started a little earlier," Heitz said.
Later, a spokesman for the Paris prosecutor said that it was the church staff members, not the fire department, who reviewed the initial warning.
Patrick Chauvet, Rector of Notre-Dame, said in an interview with the main French public broadcaster that the cathedral has "fire wardens" who monitor fire safety and make "badessments" three times a day in the area under the roof in wood.
"In terms of safety, I doubt we could have done more," said Chauvet.
Buildings such as Notre Dame – full of nooks and hidden pbadageways made of wood and old materials – are considered by fire prevention experts as especially risky, especially when they are being renovated. Stewart Kidd, a consultant on heritage buildings in Britain, said that in old structures, when the flames became visible, "they may have burned for an hour" in unseen spaces.
And when there is work, said Kidd, "the building is exposed to all kinds of dangerous activities."
Officials said that they did not suspect foul play, and Heitz added that there was nothing to indicate that the fire had begun deliberately. Investigators plan to interview people from the five companies that were doing renovations to the site. Before the fire, part of the Gothic structure had been covered with scaffolding.
French police block access to Ile de la Cité and the Saint-Louis Bridge Cathedral. (Cyril Zannettacci / VU Agency for the Washington Post)
The area near Notre Dame is still closed to the public because rescue efforts are underway at the partially destroyed monument. (Cyril Zannettacci / VU Agency for the Washington Post)
Notre-Dame Cathedral was built over the centuries, starting in 1163. It was partially consumed in a few hours on Monday, when thousands of Parisians were standing, chanting "Ave Maria" and crying at the sight.
"The Parisians lose their lady," reads in a French title. In Strasbourg, the big cathedral of the city rang 15 minutes Tuesday morning, as a sign of solidarity.
There were no deaths in the fire, but two policemen and a fireman were injured, officials said.
Culture Minister Franck Riester told French radio on Tuesday that much of the art of the cathedral had been saved. The great grand organ of 8,000 pipes has survived the flames, but it remains to be determined whether it has suffered water damage. Riester also confirmed reports that firefighters could have saved the two most sacred relics of the church: the crown of thorns allegedly worn by Jesus and a tunic of St. Louis, King of France from the 13th century.
The objects would be transferred from the Paris City Hall to the Louvre, said Riester.
[[[[As the flames flooded Notre Dame, a fire chaplain helped save the treasures from the inside.]
"It was necessary to get them out by the smoke," Jean-Claude Gallet, commander of the Paris fire department, told BFMTV. He added that the firefighters rushed into the cathedral room at the fire to carry out the rescue.
The most precious stained-glbad windows in the cathedral, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, are also probably intact, said André Finot, spokesman for the cathedral.
"It's a bit of a miracle. We are very relieved, "he told BFMTV.
Vittorio Sgarbi, a Rome-based art historian, said that Our Lady, even before the fire, was an architectural hodgepodge – some original pieces, but many pieces added or replaced.
"This is going to be a decisive event in the history of a non-authentic building, a sort of laboratory," Sgarbi said.
A Catholic nun prays near the cathedral. (Cyril Zannettacci / VU Agency for the Washington Post)
While the fire was still burning, France was preparing plans to rebuild the church. Experts predicted that reconstruction could take a decade or more – contrary to Macron's five-year goal.
[[[[Macron promises to rebuild Notre Dame, but Paris monument suffers "colossal damage"]
The effort was supported by Pope Francis, who on Tuesday called the fire a "disaster" and described on Twitter the wish to see the damage "turned into hope in rebuilding".
Tuesday, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, launched the idea of an "international conference of donors" which brings together philanthropists and experts in restoration in Paris in order to raise funds to finance the reconstruction of Notre-Dame .
Many philanthropists needed only a few initiatives. French luxury magnate François-Henri Pinault said his family would spend about $ 113 million on the effort. The family of Bernard Arnault, president of the luxury conglomerate LVMH and the richest man in Europe, pledged a donation of $ 226 million. Companies such as Apple and the French oil giant Total announced their own contribution.
"I am not religious myself; I am an atheist, "said Charles Gosse, 23, a business school student who launched an online fundraising campaign and raised $ 27,000 quickly. "But it's beyond religion. It's a national monument like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. "
A man looks at the remains of Our Lady. (Cyril Zannettacci / VU Agency for the Washington Post)
People are watching the rescue efforts still underway at Notre Dame, near a store christened "The Gifts of Our Lady" in the center of Paris. (Cyril Zannettacci / VU Agency for the Washington Post)
France, although officially secular, remains a Catholic nation and many people who came to see the remains on Tuesday said they were motivated by their faith. It is the holiest week of the year on the Christian calendar.
"I am a believer," said Carine Mazzoni, a 48-year-old lawyer who said her son had been confirmed at Notre Dame. "It's Easter week. It is a symbol of Paris and a Catholic symbol. It is the story of the world that unites in this building. "
Long-time Parisians said they had trouble understanding the destruction.
"I've been in Paris for 62 years," said Alix Constant, a medical secretary. "When I saw the images of fire, I had the need to see it with my own eyes. And even more so because I am a practicing Catholic. "
[[[[How Our Lady inspired Henri Matisse, who described the cathedral as a living memory.]
In their report of fire and rescue efforts, firefighters told the local media that, from the first call, they had to cross traffic jams during rush hours obstructing the banks of the Seine.
The flames quickly spread from the top of the nave, engulfing one beam, then another, into a large part of the roof called "the forest", as each mbadive support was carved into a whole tree. The 750-tonne spire, built in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 19th century in oak covered with lead, overturned shortly before 8 pm.
At the height of the fire-fighting efforts, which lasted about nine hours, firefighters trained 18 watering hoses on the church, according to local media reports. They pumped water directly from the Seine, the great river that runs through Paris and adjoins Notre Dame.
People gather near Notre Dame the day after a major fire destroyed part of the monument. (Cyril Zannettacci / VU Agency for the Washington Post)
Birnbaum reported from Brussels. Reis Thebault in Washington, Griff Witte in Berlin, Stefano Pitrelli in Rome and Quentin Ariès in Paris contributed to this report.
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