Notre Dame de Paris, a medieval Catholic cathedral in Paris, France, is in flames today. My heart bleeds as eight centuries of history is ablaze. I think of Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Quasimodo’s words “sanctuary, sanctuary…”
I feel lucky to have visited Notre Dame last December. We never think about the brevity of things. We humans take many people and places for granted. I recall planning to go back in the summer when the warm weather wouldn’t have made me shiver so much at the top of the cathedral. Paris this past December was pretty cold.
I told my kids about the fire, and I could tell they regretted having complained that they had to climb the three hundred plus steps it took us to get to the top of the cathedral and see the gargoyles.
I’m sad for the people who hold Notre-Dame as a place of worship, not just a touristic site, and today feel they lost their sanctuary.
“He therefore turned to mankind only with regret. His cathedral was enough for him. It was peopled with marble figures of kings, saints and bishops who at least did not laugh in his face and looked at him with only tranquillity and benevolence. The other statues, those of monsters and demons, had no hatred for him – he resembled them too closely for that…”
A Wondrous Bookshelf 
The Notre Dame Cathedral is a religious, cultural, and historic icon which is why people around the world wept today as it burned. Thank God they were able to save the two towers and the outer facade. And thank you for sharing your personal feelings and lovely photos.
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As sad as this event was at least there were no casualties, and hopefully they’ve able to rebuild it.
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Dang! Your post is the first I’ve heard of this. So sad…
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A terrible fire indeed but a beautiful post – thanks for sharing it with us. x
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You’re welcome!
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