An early ALLELUIA for the vaulting of #NotreDame – It held!

The wooden roof over the stone vaulting of the nave of Notre-Dame of Paris burned and the great spire came down.

But the vaulting held! Only a small part came down.

Photos from inside

I pray that this dreadful shock will awaken the Faith of the Church’s eldest daughter.

Many people prayed as they watched and waited.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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18 Comments

  1. There are reports that all the works of art were saved. Does that include the stained-glass windows?

  2. MaHrad says:

    I don’t think so. I read that Rose window specifically exploded from the heat. I’m guessing that many of the others did as well. :’-(

  3. Gab says:

    Fr Fournier, Chaplain of the Paris Firefighters, went into the blaze with the firefighters to save the Blessed Sacrament and the Crown of Thorns.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/Eloraillere/status/1117900607329714177

  4. iamlucky13 says:

    Incredible! I was convinced it was much worse when aerial images started being published.

    Stonework can be weakened by heat, so there’s no guarantee civil engineers will sign off on allowing the rest of the vaulting to remain when the work to rebuild starts, but that is still a promising picture.

    It appears to me the hole is west of where the spire was? In videos, it looked to me like that’s the direction the spire fell, so I wonder if the impact from the spire’s collapse is what caused the vaulting to give way right there.

    @ Anita Moore – From pictures I’ve seen so far, I think several of the windows were destroyed, but some also appeared to still be intact after the fire started to die down, including the south rose window.

    Quite a few of the statues on the roof had previously been removed for the ongoing construction, so those are presumably saved.

  5. veritas vincit says:

    Very encouraging that the stone vaulting (mostly) held!

    The news reported that the Crown of Thorns was saved. I’m also glad to hear that the Blessed Sacrament was rescued as well.

    Just as this horrific fire seems symbolic of the collapse of the Faith in France and Europe, hopefully this good news will be symbolic of the recovery of the Faith.

  6. mburn16 says:

    I noticed in the pictures that it didn’t seem you could see through where the large rose windows were, which would be a promising sign. Even so, the stained glass wouldn’t be the hardest thing to replace. The fact that the relics survived was most important – everything else can be restored.

  7. hilltop says:

    It is surprising, and testimony to the vaults’ masons’ craftsmanship, that the stone vaults remain. They now hold their own weight as before, and in addition they hold the weight of all the burned roof framing, the water from the fire fighters, and the melted lead from the roof. They are also likely helping to stabilize the upper reaches of the clerestory. Pray they hold until the building is stabilized… Sancta Maria, Notre Dame de Paris, Ora pro nobis!

  8. Mariana2 says:

    Gab,

    Thanks!
    I worried about that during the night. Also that now someone will have the bright idea to improve on Gothic architecture with a glass pyramid, or something of that sort.

  9. Gab says:

    One of the smaller Rose windows survived the fire. My only hope is they replace the Great Rose window with an exact copy of the destroyed one and not some ugly modernist “new age” rubbish.

  10. Gab says:

    More good news. All 3 of the Rosace windows survived.
    The organ suffered severe damage, but contrary to what the church said last night, was not destroyed.

    https://www.bfmtv.com/culture/notre-dame-de-paris-les-vitraux-des-rosaces-intacts-l-orgue-epargne-par-les-flammes-1674129.html

  11. Ms. M-S says:

    As dreadful as the thought is, if the whole structure had burned to the ground after Fr. Fournier had first gotten the Blessed Sacrament and the Crown of Thorns safely out the worst would have been averted. Thanks, Gab, for that news. I wonder if the actual cause of the fire will ever be made public?

  12. Mariana2 says:

    Ugly, modernist “new age” rubbish is the fear that haunts me.

  13. Hb says:

    Watching Note Dame burn was a truly heart-wrenching experience. Praise God that it looks like the church may be restored.

  14. Suburbanbanshee says:

    St. Bernadette, pray for us!

  15. Nathan says:

    I really think that the 850-year-old stone vaulting holding up is miraculous, as well as a testament to the skills of the stonemasons. It’s also miraculous, IMO, that the crossing is holding up after the collapse of the vaulting there.

    Interestingly, it appears to me from the pictures and video of the interior that the only major damage was to the ugly modern butcher-block looking altar they had put up in the crossing in the last 30 years. I think the 17th-century high altar was untouched.

    In Christ,

  16. brasscow says:

    Safe bet the government of France will rebuild this as a “multicultural center”.

    The good news is that approximately an hour after the blaze began “authorities” stated that they “can rule out arson” – though they also say they don’t know how it started (yeah right). God save us if we should offend anyone or if the official findings should sew seeds of doubt about the wisdom of welcoming millions of participants of a corrupt political ideology wrongly referred to as a religion whose mission is the subjugation, taxation, and soul and body murder of all humanity.

  17. AlanLins says:

    The article at the link provides information on the possible restoration of Notre Dame:

    https://www.citylab.com/design/2019/04/notre-dame-cathedral-fire-paris-gothic-architecture-history/587191/

  18. Sword40 says:

    As a TLM Catholic, I can share the sadness and open optimism of the many French Catholics. It’s time we all pray for a spiritual restoration of the church and the faithful, not only in France but worldwide.

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