The Notre Dame Cathedral Is Burning In Paris

The world-famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France is on fire, & posts of the blaze are spreading just as rapidly across social media.

From Wikipedia (don’t judge me, this is time sensitive):

The cathedral is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. The innovative use of the rib vault and flying buttress, the enormous and colorful rose windows, and the naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration all set it apart from earlier Romanesque architecture.

The cathedral was begun in 1160 and largely completed by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the following centuries. In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. Soon after the publication of Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1831, popular interest in the building revived.

The Cathedral survived the French Revolution, but I’m sad to say that looking at the photos coming out I think it will take a long time to come back from this one; A devastating blow to the city at a spot of such cultural & historical significance. The church brings in over 12 million people per year, making it the most visited in Paris. If you’ve ever been to France, odds are good you have at least a dozen photos both inside & out of this spot.

No word yet on what caused it as the fire continues, but sources say it might be linked to renovations occurring there. Just four days ago their official Instagram account posted photos from scaffolding on the roof that’s now ablaze.

Hope no one is hurt & they get a handle on it soon. You can watch a livestream of it HERE.

And here’s some more photos from the official Instagram showing the iconic building on better days: