Notre Dame is burning.

[GravitySucks]

Another reminder to stop procrastinating.
I never got to see this land mark.

 

[RunningBum]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...eaks-historic-Notre-Dame-cathedral-Paris.html

Lots of pictures, like

 

[Marita40]

Oh so sad. It survived so much over the years and now may be a total loss. I visited several times.

 

[mystang52]

Watching on the news. now. The likely devastation is scary/sad.

 

[braumeister]

Incredible building. So happy that I got to see it in 2016. The French will be devastated, and the world is definitely a little poorer.

 

[GrayHare]

Fires seem to happen too often while renovations are underway. I'd expect extra fire extinguishers and similar to be on hand but perhaps that's not routine.

 

[W2R]

OH NO!!!! Seriously, I am devastated to hear this. Notre Dame is such a treasure. I hope I don't have to change that, to say "was" instead of "is".

What a loss for humanity.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

That’s heartbreaking.

 

[Red Badger]

The world has lost a treasure.

 

[sengsational]

Even though I'm not really a tourist that flocks to churches, I've toured there a few times, most recently took DW, who had never been.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

That's really sad. Hoping the damage isn't too bad.
We were looking forward to visiting it again when we are there this June. Even if we can't enter, I'd love to enjoy looking at all the detailed design all over the exterior/facade.

 

[street]

I just heard that and sad. Again, nothing lasts forever.

 

[pjm-7]

So sad. The artwork and stained glass inside were so beautiful. It was a treasure to visit.

 

[W2R]

So sad. The artwork and stained glass inside were so beautiful. It was a treasure to visit.

I just read that they are trying to save some of the artwork right now as we type, but the coverage didn't indicate whether or not they are successful.

Honestly I am so glad that this did not happen while my parents (born in 1909 and 1910) were still alive. They were art lovers, and Notre Dame was very special to them. They would have been totally devastated and inconsolable if they had seen this.

 

[SecondCor521]

There was a report on the radio that the roof has partially collapsed.

My (now ex-)wife and I visited there on our honeymoon. I thought it was beautiful.

I hope they will repair/restore/rebuild it as best they can.

 

[kimcdougc]

That was on my to visit list when we go on our European cruise April 26th. Too sad. So much history gone in a second.

 

[marko]

We lived literally across the Seine from Notre Dame for several years; less than 200 yards away and could see the entire cathedral from our living room. Beautiful, especially a night when it would be lit up.

So sad to see this. So many memories of taking friends to visit.

Yes, another reminder to 'do it now'.

 

[FIREd]

Incredible building. So happy that I got to see it in 2016. The French will be devastated, and the world is definitely a little poorer.

It is devastating and shocking to lose such a big part of our national heritage. Hopefully many of the religious, historic, and artistic treasures that it contained were saved.

 

[pb4uski]

We visited Paris in April 1986 and stayed at a hotel about a 9-iron from Notre Dame Cathedral. A definite loss of a world treasure.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Poor Paris, poor France, poor world. Heartbreaking loss of beauty.

 

[Bestwifeever]

It is devastating and shocking to lose such a big part of our national heritage. Hopefully many of the religious, historic, and artistic treasures that it contained were saved.

DH and I are heartbroken—can’t even imagine how sad this is for France.

 

[COcheesehead]

We were there several years ago. Magnificent church. The world has lost a treasure.

 

[FIREd]

The local news report that the overall structure as well as that the most precious artefacts seem to have been saved.

 

[street]

^ that would be a miracle.

 

[W2R]

I hope that most of the artwork was saved. On the other hand, some of it is surely destroyed. Guess we will find out more about that in the next few days.

I heard Macron tell the news media that it will be rebuilt. Hope he is able to make that happen. I don't even know if it is even possible in 2019 to make stained glass of the sort used for those amazing stained glass windows. I think a lot of that artistry was kept secret back in the Middle Ages. Edited to add: The rose window shown below is apparently gone.

I am not a religious person, but the significance of Notre Dame goes beyond religion and is worldwide. Notre Dame is an amazing historical monument to art, architecture, and Western civilization. My heart goes out to the French, to Catholics, and to everyone in the world who is saddened by this event.

Honestly I am shocked at the comparatively light news coverage of this awful event. Maybe it is too soon to expect much.

EDITED TO ADD: They just did 5 minutes on it in our TV news coverage. Arson has already been ruled out, which is surprising when the fire is not even completely out yet, but the reasons why it was ruled out were not stated in the news coverage.