Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is engulfed in flames. Current renovations may be to blame for the blaze.
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Notre Dame fire
As flames engulf the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral, the Paris Fire Brigade is trying to determine if current renovations to the Cathedral’s spire are to blame for the horrific blaze that tore through the building today.
Here’s What you need to know about the renovations at Notre Dame:
Another cliche “first time in Paris” shot from 2004. This is still my only visit to Paris, I need to do something about that…
A post shared by Airports and Sunsets (@airportsandsunsets) on Dec 30,2018 at 7:45pm PST
Architects and historians all seem to agree that Notre Dame was in dire need of repairs. When the cathedral burst into flames, a $6.8 million project was underway to repair the church’s glorious spire. In 2017 it was reported that the church needed major repairs. One of the cathedral’s famed gargoyles used to drain water had fallen off the building and another one was disintegrating, resulting in the Archdiocese using plastic pipes instead.
“The flying buttresses are in a pretty bad state and we can’t afford them falling down because it would risk the structure of the whole cathedral. It’s urgent!” Michel Picaud, President of the charity, Friends of Notre Dame told FRANCE 24. According to Picaud, the walls are chipping, the lead roof tiles are disintegrating. While it was still relatively safe for tourists to visit the building’s safety was described by one expert as being at “the tipping point.”
Picaud also revealed to the news agency that other repairs were critical. There are large cracks have appeared across the church’s façade and the supporting structure holding up the cathedral’s impressive stained-glass windows could collapse in the event of a storm.
With original construction starting in 1163, Notre Dame took over 200 years to complete. Since then, it’s been repeatedly looted and damaged. The Huguenots and a French king vandalized the church, believing its statues, tombs, and stained glass were idolatrous.
