Notre Dame is burning.

[Sestak]

Per the mayor, the focus is now no longer on suppressing the fire, but saving the art and relics that remain inside. The building may be completely gone...


Absolutely terrible. I hope they at least are successful in this.

[Sestak]

Appalling. I don't know what else I can say about this.

I was trying to figure out what in the United States would be remotely comparable and the closest I could come up with was if the National Cathedral, the Lincoln Memorial, and more than one of the really old Puritan->Congregationalist->UCC/UU churches in Eastern Massachusetts all went out at once. Even that might not be as scarring.

Probably something like the Statue of Liberty burning.

The equivalent in America would not even be a church. Notre Dame for the French and Parisians would be like the White House or Capitol for Americans. Its not a religion thing, its a national symbol.

Yes, but a national symbol without any functional (governmental) purpose, unlike the White House or Capitol.

Statue of Liberty is probably still the best analog. 

Yeah, that’s really the only apt comparison I could think of.

[Sestak]

It looks like the fire is going down, at least modestly. I'm no engineer, but it looks like the stone frame, and hopefully some of the windows will stay intact. The bronze statues on the roof definitely were saved. The biggest question marks are the religious relics inside.

According to Australian TV news.

Crown of Thorns is gone.

Wood from the Crucifixion Cross is gone.

I find it hard to believe they would keep this stuff in the attic of a wooden building, but who knows.

It was reported earlier that they were saved, but there could be conflicting reports.

I know they reported earlier that recovering the artifacts was the top priority above containing the fire, and I have to imagine those had top priority unless they were kept in a particularly dangerous area.

https://twitter.com/koliadelesalle/status/1117865987670364160?s=21

Translation: “Good News: All the works of art have survived. Thee treasure of the cathedral, the crown of thorns, the holy sacraments”.


(At least I’m assuming that’s what ‘saints sacraments’ means, someone please correct me if I’m wrong.)

[Sestak]

Am heading reports that the lower North rose window appears to have survived. Also sounds like it’s the only one that did.

[Sestak]

So actually all three of the main rose windows appear to have survived.

[Sestak]

So what do you all think of Macron's architectural competition to design a new roof and spire for Notre Dame?

I think it's a Massive HP move.

Tbh different materials will most likely have to be used and I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to a new design being used (although rebuilding them to the closest design possible to the old ones would be my preference), but the roof and spire need to be rebuilt in Gothic style at the very least. On the other hand, I think Macron wants a "modern" design built in glass or something like that. If that's the case, I'd rather just not have the roof or spire rebuilt.

Yeah. Obviously it can’t be the exact same materials, but the closer the better for this.

[Sestak]

This is ridiculous.


If the Statue of Liberty (which actually already IS a secular monument) was partially destroyed, no politician in the mainstream would be calling for a "competition to choose a new design". Anyone who did would be laughed out of the room.

Wtf is Macron doing?

[Sestak]

Eh, I actually think that mixing styles of architecture like this can work quite well in some instances.


But this really isn't the proper scenario to be doing it. As someone said above, it's not Notre Dame.