BREAKING NEWS!! NOTRE-DAME of PARIS is ON FIRE!

I've been watching at home, it's devastating.

Horrible. I visited it last year and it was amazing in its architectural beauty, though I’m no fan of organized religion in general. The history and importance of this site has to be acknowledged.

With Easter holiday upcoming, it makes you wonder if it was an act of terrorist arson or a result of the construction that is gong on.

o restore this cathedral will take some crafts that arent even practiced anymore. They may have to use cast gargoyles and spandrels s well as using new materials for buttresses.

It's gone. Even restored it won't be the same. The size of the timbers, the smell of the original oils, the hand carvings. Very sad. But then again, nothing lasts forever.

It was only a few years ago the Taliban ravaged the middle-east and destroyed statues over 2000 years old.

they saved most of the artifacts, statues and the Rose window. Apparently finding the craftspeople to do the ame work wont be a problem since there are huge cathedrals all over the world.

The can "can" the smells using essential oils and PAH's. The original roof was thick wood covered with LEAD. Id even reconsider the lead roof thing. Having a roof thats not too heavy will always be good for the life of the building.

That's not really correct: a Dombauhütte (cathedral building workshop) was originally established to build a cathedral here in Germany (and many other parts of Europe), nowadays doing the repairs and reconstructions.

The largest (and perhaps best) in my state is the one in Cologne, with 30 stonemasons and sculptors, about 16 glass painters, glass artists and glass restorers, numerous scaffolders, roofers, Carpenter, painter, electrician as well as a locksmith and a blacksmith. All together about 70 persons (without the academical and administrative staff).

The one in our district town is smaller (it's not a cathedral, but the Wiesenkirche [St. Mary’s in the Meadows, 1313 AD] is one of the most magnificent late Gothic hall churches in the whole of Germany), however with a nice website in English: Mason's lodge Wiesenkirche Soest

yeh, I stand corrected on that because, after I speced on that point , I was introduced to the fact regarding how many of the midieval palaces , buildings, Egyptian and Roman "ruins" as well as cathedrals thw orl over, have needs for such craftspeople, and that many modern matrials are available to rebuild the edifice lighter and as strong.

However, th actual loss of the entire 13th century artifacts and even the wooden roof beama will prove a blo since many of those articats or building segments are no longr available for future study.

I dont think they will consider going back to lead shingles on the snactuary.(If they do they need to have their heads examined

Anyway, I wonder in what design motif the spire will be constructed. Its already a dogs breakfast of designs and redesigns and reconstruction. I just wonder what they will select for the roof beams. What they had were essentially Oak TREES

I heard an art historian on the news say that they should consider restoring it to its 1200s form without a central spire (which was only added in the 1800s).

What material to use is also an interesting dilemma. Part of what makes it so awe inspiring is that it was achieved using medieval building techniques and materials. If they use the sort of construction materials that are used to build modern skyscrapers, that's not really going to be the same thing.

On the other hand, building it so that it is safer from future fires (and earthquakes) is certainly a desirable goal too. And the medieval stonework will still be there if they do rebuild using modern materials.

I hope they take time to really consider and debate all of their options so that they make the best choice possible, whatever it is.

Perhaps the question as to "what to do" should be put to the French people in a referendum.

Today, there's a larger report in our local paper, what would happen with the churches here in case of fire



The same as in Paris, since all have those wooden roof constructions, even if the roof was renewed like here ...

... after a fire in 1971.

Perhaps. But I suppose, the owner [the French state] of the cathedral might have to decide it according to the laws about officially listed sites.

What do those laws have to say on the matter?

I'm not a (legal) expert in French law. You might find an answer >here<.

[My father had been the (honorary) preservation officer for historic monuments in my native town - so I know a bit about it here in our part of Germany (differs from state to state, in our state even between the the two parts).

When I'd sold our (listed) house, the new owner had to regard quite a lot.

I hope they save those burnt logs so some dendrochronologists can use em for cross plot research or, at least, make em available for university archeology programs.

When this thing was originally built they ha to delay some structuring elements because the French were involved in one of the last CRUSADES.

I see our brilliant president was lecturing about how they should have dumped water onto th fire from aircraft.

It was hardly a lecture. He was merely offering ideas because he wanted to see the fire extinguished.

you understand the physics of the rlationship among mass, terminal velocity and potential energy do you not?? Plump should stick with **** he understands better , stuff like "golden showers"