Our Lady of Paris

Today, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris was ravaged by fire. The fire damage was significantly greater than damage sustained during the French Revolution, World War I, or World War II. The cathedral has been rehabilitated numerous times to address damage from such events and years of use. The Spire was added during a major renovation in the mid-1800s. There was another major renovation in the early 1990, and work was in process on the Spire. That work may have been the source of today’s fire.

Posted here are photos from a visit to the Cathedral during a 1993 family trip to Europe, toward the end of a renovation. (These are scans of prints taken in a Canon AE-1; additionally the Cathedral was poorly lit; so quality is an issue.) The above photo was taken from the Jean-Paul II Plaza (NW side). It shows the two front bell towers (note the scaffold on the right bell tower). Below is an interior photo of the Chancel (SE hall or top of the cross shape of the Cathedral). Last is a photos of one of the famous Gothic Style Rose Windows, this one in the SE Transept (the SE arms of the cross shape of the Cathedral).

We have visited numerous cathedrals across Europe and North America, all of them beautiful structures in their own right. Nonetheless, our visit to Our Lady of Paris was very special, probably because it set the standard. This evening, French President Macron promised to rebuild.