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Today's not-to-be-missed news moment04.18.2019

2019-05-22

A fire has destroyed the roof and spires of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. Although Notre Dame's north and south bell towers were saved by firefighters, many rare artefacts are feared to have gone up in flames, and although wealthy people have donated money to repair and rebuild the building, it's an irreparable loss for tourists who have never seen Notre Dame with their own eyes. The 856-year-old Notre Dame de Paris was devastated and the fire was brought under control after nine hours by nearly 400 firefighters, a moment after Notre Dame's spire collapsed. The spire, which dates back to the 12th century, was demolished during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1860s. The collapse of the ill-fated spire by flames is considered by the Royal Institute of British Architects to be an irreversible blow to the heritage of the French Gothic complex.

Notre Dame was burnt to the ground as the world watched, especially the French, who are believed to have been more devastated than visitors from other countries. Fire on Notre Dame caused heavy damage, but fortunately the main structure of the building was basically spared, the north and south bell towers also escaped, the cause of the fire is still to be investigated, the detailed damage situation must also wait for the relevant units to clarify, but it can be determined that the church's internal pipelines and railings, many of which were ravaged by the fire to be repaired. Experts pointed out that people only remember the church outside the stone wall, but forget the large amount of wood inside, which will make the fire uncontrollable. Many existing cathedrals and religious buildings, in fact, are contrary to safety regulations, if not religious buildings, these churches would have been fined for illegal construction. If they had been fined, they might have dodged a bullet.

The Notre Dame fire made headlines around the world that day. This is the nave of Notre Dame after the fire, which still has the altar, the statues, and the crucifix behind it, which is the focus of the photo. For more than 800 years, Notre Dame overlooked Paris, said the French historian Pascal, sadly. Whenever a beautiful or unfortunate event occurs, we hear the cathedral bells ringing. On the occasion of Notre Dame's inability to ring its bells in honour of its own misfortunes, let us recall the architectural and cultural treasures of Notre Dame and make this common heritage of mankind vivid in our memories.

2020-06-24