The Whole World Prayed for a Building to Stand; Notre-Dame de Paris

Posted by: begumsardan
Apr 25, 2019

As we all know, on 15 April 2019, in Paris, there was a fire coming from Notre-Dame Cathedral. That flames caused an unforgettable damage on cathedral and in our memories as well.

The cathedral is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. The period of construction lasted for almost 200 years, began in 1163, was completed in 1345. It’s pioneering use of the rib vault and flying buttress, it’s enormous and colorful rose windows, and the naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style.

Photo: aperturetours.com

That magical cathedral was source of inspiration for many movies, songs or musicals, also it was like a reflection of France. However it bothers to use past tense for it, Notre-Dame fortunately didn’t collapse totally. According to Wikipedia, by the time it was extinguished 15 hours later, the building’s spire and most of it’s roof had been destroyed and it’s upper walls severely damaged; extensive damage to the interior was prevented by it’s stone vaulted ceiling, which largely contained the burning roof as it collapsed. Many works of art and other treasures were evacuated early in the emergency, but many others were damaged or destroyed. The cathedral’s two pipe organs, and its three 13th-century rose windows, suffered little to no damage. Three people suffered injuries.

The president of France Emmanuel Macron promised that the cathedral would be restored, and will be more beautiful than before, also announced an international architectural competition to redesign the spire of Notre-Dame.

The first proposal came from Foster + Partners. As reported by The Times, Foster has proposed a glass and steel replacement that will be “light and airy” for the cathedral’s ruined roof.

As far as I am concerned, there will be extensive discussion for these ideas. While waiting the proposals curiously, we are hoping that the final decision will reflect the Notre-Dame as it was.