Dear Elegant Readers,
Photo by Hannah Reding on Unsplash
I was at work Monday afternoon when my husband came into my office with a concerned look on his face. He showed me a live video from his phone of the Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris engulfed in flames. The church’s spire had fallen and it looked like the entire structure on fire. I felt such sadness because the news reports were saying that it would be a total loss. But thank God, the flames were contained after twelve hours and keeping the fire from spreading to the main sanctuary. French President, Emmanuel Macron vows to rebuild the historic Gothic structure. Fundraising efforts are already underway and donations are coming in from all around the world. French billionaires and global companies are coming together to raise money to rebuild one of France’s most important structures. Over $700 million has been raised so far to rebuild.
Construction of The Cathedral of Notre Dame began in the twelfth century and took over two hundred years to complete. It has outlasted attacks during the French Revolution and being bombed during World War I and World War II. It is an architectural masterpiece and was a monumental feat to build. In an article from The USA Today, Emmanuel Gregoire, the deputy mayor of Paris, told BFMTV on Tuesday that he felt “enormous relief” at salvaging many priceless relics from the church, including what is believed to be the Crown of Thorns, which many believe was worn by Jesus Christ at the Crucification, and a small portion of the cross and one of the nails.
The Cathedral Notre Dame is not only a symbol of Christianity and the Catholic faith, but it is at the heart and soul of what makes up of France. It chronicles Christianity’s storied history. This is Holy Week and Christians all over the world will be worshipping in churches on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Easter is one of the most important holidays of the year because Jesus died on the cross and he is risen to give us eternal life. At first, it looked like the Cathedral Notre Dame was beyond being saved, but miracles happen and the fire was contained.
Prior to the fire breaking out, the church had begun an extensive remodeling project. Scaffolding had been placed around the spire to make much-needed repairs. The sculptures housed in the attic were removed only a few weeks ago. When the images of the fire were shown on social media, our fear was that the entire would be destroyed. But now seeing how much of the building is still intact, it truly is a miracle and a blessing from God. Showing, once again, how resilient the Cathedral is. Having been around for over eight hundred years, survived a revolution and two world wars, the Cathedral will rise again.
My hubby and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the people of France. Although, we have not been to France to visit the Cathedral; it is on our list of elegant places to visit. We stand with France in their efforts to rebuild this treasure of history.
Vive La France!
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