If you’ve ever been or wanted to go or even just knew it existed at the center of Paris, this is heartbreaking.
A true tragedy, that Fireman Donnie and his little dog Q-Tip couldn’t resist chiming in on…
“The Megalomaniac of Notre Dame”.
(h/t Victor Hugo)
If there is any good to come from this it will be that most Americans will learn that Gothic art and architecture is something other than what they see on death metal album covers.
Now he’s calling Notre Dame “a museum.”
They’ve saved the stone walls & towers, but they’ll need to shore them up pretty quickly to prevent a possible structural collapse.
Gothic Cathedrals are based on an amazingly intricate balance of forces. Prior structures relied solely on mass/weight to stand - so they had thick walls, relatively small open spaces, and tiny windows. Gothic cathedrals used flying buttresses for support - making walls thinner, open areas larger, and those magnificent rose windows at Notre Dame possible. However, the balance of forces included the roof structure- so some sort of substitute bracing will be needed to keep the walls from shifting now that the roof has fallen.
One bit of good news - the late art historian and professor Andrew Tallon conducted a complete 3D laser scan of the interior of the cathedral a few years ago. This data will be essential as France rebuilds Notre Dame.
this is such a gutpunch; and when the spire collapsed, I could only weep. it just feels like such a darkness has descended on the world.
I have no doubt that France (and the Catholic Church, and the World Heritage Center, and millions of art lovers and historians and worshippers and travelers and pilgrims and francophiles, will pitch in to rebuild as quickly and as completely as possible. Treasures have been lost, but like a phoenix…saving the bones of the structure, however fragile and tenuous, is the start of renewal.
‘He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, `Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.’
This is heartbreaking. I"m just looking at the pics of me and the gargoyles. Does anyone know if the stained glass and other irreplaceable works of art were saved?
When I read the headline, my first thought was: they have Trumpers in France?
After the sickening first reactions I thought, as I did after the Taliban blew up the Bhuddha statues as Bamian, “I’ve never seen it, and now I never will.” Totally selfish, but also true–it’s lost to the world, and we’re all part of that world.
It is by far the coolest fucking building I’ve ever had the privilege to step foot in. So goddamn iconic. It’s the kind of place that seems different every time you look at it, even though it’s so symmetrical.
I hope they use a different material for the roof when it’s reconstructed. That aged oak burned like a bonfire.
Some good news on Notre Dame Cathedral via Twitter
The spire was being repaired so the 12 statues were removed before the fire.
2 of the 3 stained glass windows were saved.
The main structure was saved and will be rebuilt.
It was destroyed once before and was rebuilt.
My wife and I discussed having our daughter go to Europe with a choir last summer. She would have seen Notre Dame, amongst other things. We couldn’t justify the cost…
Had we known.
Shit
I’ve been going to the BBC and several other sites, trying to find out.
This is what I’ve pulled together, but it’s definitely not official and may not be completely correct -
From the images I’ve seen, the two smaller rose windows are gone - I can’t tell how the largest one fared. (I hope @mtw is right and only one of the three rose windows was lost)
Reports are now saying that part of the roof was preserved, which might be good news for whatever was located below.
The north tower did catch fire but was extinguished, while the south tower is intact.
The statues of the Apostles on the spire had been removed earlier this week for restoration- so they’re safe.
The relics and other items stored in the cathedral’s treasury have all been saved - including the crown of thorns that had been on display this week. The BBC reports that people had about two hours to remove artworks before the fire forced them completely out of the building- so some other portable artworks may have been saved.
I’m an atheist, and I’m tearing up about this.
Thank you very much. Fingers crossed
All across the internet,cons/Republicans are already saying it was deliberately set by Muslims.