Notre-Dame cathedral ablaze

[STEED]

In the next few days we will find out how much was destroyed and how much was saved and can be repaired. One thing is for sure its a big job that will take a few years.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Reece

Such a tragedy and so close to the Easter celebrations.

Rgr that

[Reece]

There isn't a question about saving it, it has to be done, the biggest immediate problem is getting some sort of tarp over it to stop the rain getting in.

[Jimbuna]

I have a hunch (no pun intended) that Macron will turn this into a political football.

[Commander Wallace]

The artwork from the Notre Dame Cathedral is reportedly being sent to the Louvre for safe keeping while damage is being assessed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/li...n-live-updates

Donations are also pouring in for the rebuild including a donation of 100 million Euros from French Billionaire, Francois-Henri Pinault to assist in the planned rebuilding efforts.

https://kristv.com/news/world-news/2...ame-cathedral/

Does anyone known if the damage was limited to the roof and spire? I can't find any info and i'm thinking a damage assesment hasn't even started. I'm wondering if the structural integrity of the cathedral was compromised or if the damage was limited to those piece like the roof and spire that can be replaced. Perhaps our French Subsim members like dgn might know ?

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

I have a hunch (no pun intended) that Macron will turn this into a political football.

TOO BAD TORPLEXED ISN'T AROUND TO DO A POLITICAL CARTOON BASED ON THAT STATEMENT

Originally Posted by WSJ

<The wooden frame of the cathedral’s roof was constructed in 1220. Each beam was hewn from a different oak tree. The cathedral roof is made of more than 1,300 lead tiles, each about a quarter-inch thick. as the flames engulfed the cathedral’s roof, they consumed sections of its interior frame. Nicknamed “the forest” for the number of oak trees used to construct its wooden beams, the frame was among the oldest in church architecture.
“Essentially it’s kindling,” said Anne E. Lester, associate professor of medieval history at Johns Hopkins University. “It’s made from timber that’s now hundreds of years old. It would have been dried out.”

THE SPIRE SEEN TOPPLING WAS ACTUALLY A 19 CENTURY ADDITION AND NOT PART OF THE MEDIEVAL GOTHIC STRUCTURE PER SE; ONE OF THE ISSUES WAS THE BRITTLE LIMSTONE ROCK NOT REACTING WELL TO THE FIREWATER FROM FIRE HOSES. FORTUNATELY THE STATUES AROUND THE COLLAPSED SPIRE HAD ALL BEEN REMOVEED FROM THE ROOF FOR RENOVATION. UNFORTUNATELY, NUTHIN' NEW HERE: THE EQUALLY SPECTACULAR CATHEDRAL AT CHARTRES SUFFERED A SIMILAR ROOF FIRE AND WAS REPLACED WITH STEEL ROOF TRUSSES IN THE 1800'S....

Originally Posted by WSJ

In 1836, the old lead-covered roof, with its complex structure of timber supports (known as 'the forest') was destroyed by fire. It was replaced with a copper-clad roof supported by a network of cast iron ribs, known as the Charpente de fer. At the time, the framework over the crossing had the largest span of any iron framed construction in Europe.

<CLIK2ENLARGE AS FOR PRESIDENT MACRON: "WE WILL REBUILD"....WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA MON PRESIDENTE

[_dgn_]

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

Well it is certainly a heartbreaking thing, my friend... that poor, beautiful city

Thanks for your words, Eichhörnchen.

I know that circumstances are not the same, but when I saw the spire of Notre-Dame collapsing, I immediatly remember the video report maded by the Naudet brothers on 9/11 about New-York attack : in the both cases, my sentiments in front of these horrific scenes were, initially, "only" incredulity.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a simple dream ...

Cheers.

[_dgn_]

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

The artwork from the Notre Dame Cathedral is reportedly being sent to the Louvre for safe keeping while damage is being assessed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/li...n-live-updates

Donations are also pouring in for the rebuild including a donation of 100 million Euros from French Billionaire, Francois-Henri Pinault to assist in the planned rebuilding efforts.

https://kristv.com/news/world-news/2...ame-cathedral/

Does anyone known if the damage was limited to the roof and spire? I can't find any info and i'm thinking a damage assesment hasn't even started. I'm wondering if the structural integrity of the cathedral was compromised or if the damage was limited to those piece like the roof and spire that can be replaced. Perhaps our French Subsim members like dgn might know ?

The 16 copper statues around the spire (the 12 apostles + the 4 evangelists) were fortunately removed last week, for the beginning of the planned works. "Fortunately"salvaged : they would not been able to resist to the fall of the spire, constituted of 500 tons of wood and 250 tons of lead ...

Yestersday, the saved precious objects from Notre-Dame were stored, for security reasons, in the near "Préfecture de Police" (Paris police headquarters), and in the near "Mairie de Paris" (main city hall), but the Louvres Museum seems to be more appropriate for storing such religious/historical/artistical items, with the same security level.

Difficult to know, today, exactly what was (partially/totally) destroyed or (lightly/severely) damaged. And water used by the BSBP (the military firemen Brigade in Paris) has naturally caused damages, but protected the 3 rose windows to blow (some light damages in these pieces dating from XIInd and XIIIrd century, but the lead holding the coloured glas pieces didnt' fuse). But much damages with the other stained-glass windows (dating from XIXth century).

Some large paintings (generally 2x3 m -> difficult to dismount and to rapidly take them) disappeared "for all eternity" in the flames, but the main altar survived. Some "small" collapses in the vault, but the main vault resisted. And the great organ (8000 pipes made from lead & tin) was preserved, not only from the fire, but from the water hoses (located under the Northern rose window, largely watered by the firemen).

The main Christian relics ("Crown of thorns" of Jesus, a nail from the "Holy Cross" and a small part of this cross, the tunic of the king Saint Louis) were first taken away, but a statue (a coq) containing a small chunk of the "Crown of thorns", a relic from Saint-Denis and another from Sainte-Geneviève (patroness of Lutetia/Paris) were destroyed, because located at the tip of the spire. Other (minor) relics and some precious liturgical items seem to be considered as "missing", while the Treasury of Notre-Dame remains intact.

A precise inventory (about artefacts and about the building itself) will be possible in the next days, but if the main stucture of the cathedral is still present, it's difficult to know its real state. When stones reach a high temperature, and after a thermal shock with cold water (pumped directly from the Seine River), some serious investigations about the materials are necessary. And a large amount of humidity needs now to be drained.

750 million Euros seems bo be collected today : Pinault & "Total", but also Françoise Bettencourt & "L’Oréal" (200 million), Bernard Arnault and "LVMH" (same amount), French banks ... Outside France : Tim Cook & "Apple".

But a national contribution is about to be organized, without any speculation objective. Because the readiness of the "big" French firms for giving much money is hiding the possibility for them to gain tax credits. A well aimed charity !

So some recent informations, as requested by Commander Wallace.

Cheers.

[vienna]

It is a great tragedy on many levels:


ND is a long-lived part of history and stands as a monument to the historical events it over-viewed;

ND is a vital part of the Parisian landscape and identity;

ND is an invaluable work of art and architecture without a match anywhere in the world;

ND is prime center of the religious community in Paris and around the world...


The last pint is particularly of note; I recall when the 1994 Northridge Earthquake rattled Southern California; there was a fault line that ran from Hollywood, through the West Side of LA, and on to the ocean that came to life and spread damage all along the fault line; I took a very long walk along the route of the fault to see what the effects of the quake were; as I walked along, I noted several churches, and other houses of worship, that suffered damage , a few of them very extensive damage; the thought occurred to me that many people would turn to those houses of faith for solace and find their refuges unavailable; I'm not religious, but it was a sad thought; I can only imagine what the loss of ND means to the faithful of France...









<O>

[Onkel Neal]

@_dgn_

My heart goes out to your people. What a tragedy. Both of my older daughters called me upset, they had each visited Paris on my urging a few years back, and they were enchanted by Notre Dame cathedral.

Fear not, your country and Paris have our support. The cathedral will be repaired and her beauty will soar once again.

[Buddahaid]

Well just to be an ass, where do freedom fries fit in this picture?

[Catfish]

Thanks _dgn_ for more information. We were dumbstruck seeing this in the news, and could at first not believe it. I hope it can be restored.

[em2nought]

The damage other than the roof doesn't look too awful. Especially when you consider how bad the fire looked while it was raging

[Dowly]

View of the exterior roof:
https://i.imgur.com/7c6A3QK.gifv

[Skybird]

The stomnes got baken, and then soaked off all the water. Needs to show whether the structure still is solid or not. If it is, the roof will be rebuilt, and if the structure must be rebuild, so it will be done. Its an opporutnity to replace the roof structure made of wood with one made of steel, which is lighter and obviously less critical in case of fire. I do not know how dark or liht it wa sinside the church, but it could also be an opportunity to install a modern light system, like they did in the super-dark catacomb they call Kölner Dom.


The show is over. Looking forward already. They money the seem to have already.