Yesterday the headlines and social media were full of laments about the great cultural, architectural and historical loss caused by the fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in France. Some wondered what the big deal was. To put it into perspective, this is a little like damage to the Taj Mahal here in India. The Notre Dame is not just a national treasure of France, but a part of our collective global heritage.
For a long time, the towers of the Notre Dame were the tallest structures in France. The cathedral represents not only religious but also cultural, mythical icons such as monsters and gargoyles. The cathedral finds mention in countless literally works and witnessed some of the nation’s key historical events including the French Revolution and later the celebration of the liberation of France in 1944.
The fire appears to have started in the scaffolding erected for renovations; which destroyed a lot of the ancient structure: the famous spire was 300 ft. tall, it is now reduced to 90 ft. The roof of the cathedral is all but gone. Though no one died, one fireman was injured. We can see the anguish of the gathered people as they watch a national treasure go up in flames.
Notre Dame has been one of the most visited tourist sites in the Western world; far more spectacular, intricate and magnificent than, say, the Eifel Tower.
The sound of Notre Dame's bells is also inextricably linked to some key moments in France's history.
While most of the valuable and sacred objects and artworks were removed from the building, the structure itself has suffered tremendous damage.
This was put in place the last time that the cathedral was sacked and damaged during the French Revolution to direct the correct course of action in case of a disaster.
By all accounts the fire fighters did a tremendous job controlling the blaze; preventing it from causing much more damage than it did.
Perhaps no one had had this bright idea in France, so Donald Trump weighed in with this suggestion of using ‘flying water tankers’.
The American president doling out unwanted advice to the French during a crisis like; basically telling them how to do their job, embarrassed a lot of people.
The French Civil Security agencies politely said that everything was being done to save #NotreDame except for the one thing the POTUS suggested: using water bombing aircraft. It is easy to see how large amounts of water projected downward with so much force could cause further damage.
Civil society in France is already coming together to work towards rebuilding the national treasure and raise money for reconstruction; wealthy people are pledging large amounts. The French President Emmanuel Macron has said that the cathedral will be rebuilt in five years. Some think it won’t be the same; but perhaps it will be even better?
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