The 15th of April of 2019 was, for many Catholics, artists and others throughout the world, a horrible day, marked by a devastating fire that consumed an integral part of Notre Dame Cathedral, a symbol of Catholicism, art, fantasy but also a symbol of Paris. 

When? It began just after the mass at 18:50 pm local time and lasted for approximately 15 hours. 

Where? It is believed that the fire started on the attic of the building, where restoration work was on course and it quickly spread through all the building's roof and spire and briefly touched the towers. Had firefighters not stoped it, the towers would have been gone too, or all of it.

How? No one knows officially, but there are theories going around. I personally believe it was due to carelessness of the workers. Experts believe that had the original wood been replaced (it was VERY old and fragile) the fire wouldn't had spread that quickly and more could have been saved. But the French government wanted to respect the original structure, so they kept it.

The Aftermath: The wooden roof is completely gone, and so is the iconic pinacle the French called La Flèche and all the wood support above the vaulted ceiling. That ceiling also collapsed on the transept and on the middle of the building, so most of the debris fell into the Cathedral's interior. Some minor rose windows are gone, but luckily the altar windows and the famous rosettes from the transept and the main facade are intact.

The 14th century Virgin of Paris statue and Saint Joan of Arc statues, the altar depicting the Pietá and the gold cross are also untouched. In general the structure remains itself, but the stone is severely corrupted by the fire (it is a decrepit stone that has needed restoration for so long), so the building even though it is still standing, has become VERY fragile and any uncalculated step might ruin it forever...

What could be saved: One of the world's most famous relics, the supposed Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus Christ on His way to the Calvary, the tunic of Saint Louis, several chalices, candlesticks and various paintings. The bigger ones couldn't be moved but luckly, despite their bad state, they survived and are now being restored, as well as the other artworks. They are now safely kept at the Louvre Museum. 

The press informed us that 400 brave firefighters saved the Notre Dame from a terrible fate and I am so grateful. Without them, The Notre Dame would have "died." It will be born again from the ashes in all its glory someday, I hope. The French president Emmanuel Macron has stated that it will be build within 5 years, but... will it? According to one of my best friends SweetZinger, who is currently a student getting a degree in conservation and restoration, there are some hypotheses on what could happen. 

The stone is severely damaged by the fire and water was absorbed by the stone, corroding it, leaving it very weak. But that's not all. The remaining wood structure is swollen with water and that may have damanged the wood itself, by being the perfect environment for fungi to spread and cause problems to all the materials composing the Cathedral. And there's a risk that if the remaining wood colapses, the Nave, towers and walls could fall. Other prossibility is that the swollen wood might "push" the stone and everything will break and fall. Several inspections and costly interventions need to take place first, and that may take many years. Many famous companies like L'Oreal, Luis Vuitton and Gucci, other countries and anonymous donors have gathered over 1€ billion for the reconstruction. 

My thoughts: As a history student (and obviously a history lover) I am devastated by what happened. I love Gothic architecture so much and I love Notre Dame even thought I could never go there. (And now for many years I won't be able to...) My favorite bulding in Portugal is the Batalha Monastery, built in 1386 as a thank you to Our Lady of Victory for interveining in the Aljubarrota War won by the Portuguese. It is late gothic. Everything in Portugal during that era arrived late so there are 223 years apart between Notre Dame and Batalha, but they are the same architectural style (not building wise) and general decorative ideas. It's so strange, that feeling that Notre Dame was an immortal bulding and now is broken and in risk of disappearing.

 I never actually had the chance to be there. I feel a certain emptiness, a shattered dream that feels more like imagination rather than something real that I was eventually going to experience once. I watched it burn live, and together with it, my dream of ever going there to see it as it was, burned as well. I was shocked the whole time, my mouth was open in horror for some minutes untill I remembered to breathe and sit down. 

This might sound like too much. After all "it's just a building," but you see, to me, it was so much more. It was a direct door to Heaven, history, and culture. Those walls had 850 years of history in them. Notre Dame was the place where Napoleon was crowned, Saint Joan of Arc was beatified there. It survived the French Revolution, WW1 and WW2. All are important, key moments in history.

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, meaning Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris, a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. It's contruction began in 1162 and lasted for more than 200 years. And in fact, it was never completed. You see the spire on the center of the cathedral? it was supposed to have two more, one on each tower. But it never happened. It was built in a Roman cross plan with Gothic architecture, the style of the 12th Century. Although the spire and the gargoyles were added in the 18th Century. It is famous for its Rose Windows that leave many speechless. Since it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the front doors depicts arches with Saint Ane (her mother), the Death of the Virgin, and the crowning of Christ. above it, there's another rose window, and in front, as if sorrounded by a halo, the Virgin holding baby Jesus with two angels on either side.

What are your thoughts about Notre Dame and what happened to it?