It is confirmed the three roses are still there. The organ didn't get any fire damage but, as it seems, suffered from the water.

It looks like the money will be available to rebuild the structure. Now if there were only a way to restore the faith that built the building originally.

"The organ didn't get any fire damage but, as it seems, suffered from the water."

Bombing the building with water from the air would have been one sure way to demolish it - saturating the furnaced stones would crack them more.

Chers enfants de la France, regardez votre Mere.

Chere Notre Dame de Paris, regardes tes enfants.

There was no extinguisher system in the attic.

If the fire were deliberate, it was done in a place where - given the very way it was engineered centuries ago - it was least likely to fatally compromise the entire structure. above - lightning - very much was.)

Before one attacks that as being per se negligent - understand that introducing fluid pipes above the stone structure carries its own set of risks, and it's the French state that bore responsibility for assessing the risks. These buildings were purpose-built to survive roof fires of this magnitude. It's sad for people attached to a relatively short-term time reference, but the builders of this and of similar buildings thought for the very long term.

Just saw this statement from Vincent Dubois, one of the titulars at Notre Dame. The only source I've found for the English is an FB page (https://www.facebook.com/OrgansnMusic/), but also corroborated here in French: https://www.lalettredumusicien.fr/s/articles/6024_0_vincent-dubois-le-grand-orgue-de-notre-dame-de-paris-est-un-miracule

A statement from, Vincent Dubois, one of the three organiste titulairs at Notre Dame de Paris.

"Contrary to the rumors that circulated early this morning, the great organ is, a priori, saved. There are a few puddles on the left and right, but nothing dramatic. The case would be spared, as well as the pipe work... It's miraculous. We were in contact all night with my colleagues Olivier Latry and Philippe Lefebvre and we no longer believed in it. The stone roof slab that connects the two towers saved the instrument: there is no frame there from the roof, so the water sent by the fire brigade flowed on either side and did not fall on the organ loft. On the other hand, if the vaults of the nave, very weakened, are not quickly consolidated, it will probably be necessary to dismantle the organ and find a workshop large enough to shelter it. There is no such system in the Paris region. The challenge is to know very quickly whether the keystones will withstand the weight of the water and molten lead that has been poured into them. The choir organ did not burn either, but it did take on water completely. We'll have to see what's left of it... It'll take years before we can play this instrument again, but the most important thing was that it didn't end up in ashes. We will be patient and mobilize for its rehabilitation, once it has been closely examined."

French:

« Contrairement aux rumeurs qui ont circulé tôt ce matin, le grand orgue est, a priori, sauvé. Il a quelques flaques d’eau à gauche et à droite, mais rien de dramatique. Le buffet serait épargné, ainsi que la tuyauterie… C’est miraculeux. Nous étions en contact toute la nuit avec mes collègues Olivier Latry et Philippe Lefebvre et nous n’y croyions plus. C’est la dalle de couverture en pierre qui relie les deux tours qui a sauvé l’instrument : il n’y a pas de charpente à cet endroit-là du toit : l’eau envoyée par les pompiers a donc coulé de part et d’autre et n’est pas tombée sur la tribune de l’orgue. En revanche, si les voûtes de la nef, très fragilisées, ne sont pas rapidement consolidées, il faudra probablement démonter l’orgue et trouver un atelier assez grand pour le mettre à l’abri. Il n’en existe pas de tel en région parisienne. Tout l’enjeu est de savoir, très vite, si les clés de voûte vont résister au poids de l’eau et du plomb fondu qui s’y est déversé. L’orgue de chœur n’a pas brûlé non plus, mais il a, en revanche, totalement pris l’eau. Il faudra voir ce qu’il en reste… Il faudra attendre des années avant de pouvoir rejouer cet instrument, mais l’essentiel était qu’il ne finisse pas en cendres. Nous prendrons notre mal en patience et nous nous mobiliserons pour sa remise en état, une fois qu’il aura pu être examiné de près. »

ha. beat me to it.

As I hear, the organ and at least one of the roses will probably have to be taken down for restoration work. Besides, the vault needs a thorough consolidation.

As for the accusations of neglect : actually most of the French heritage is in a state of neglect, and Notre-Dame was not the worst by far, especially in Paris. The heritage here has not been a political priority since years, which means there was little money to care for and restore the monuments.

Besides, the French regulations about construction works are all about human safety (which is a very good thing). They don't address specific problems for historical monuments, such as conservation. That means the cathedral could be (and has been) evacuated very quickly (in less than two minutes there wasn't anyone left in there), but there wasn't much things to prevent damage to the building.

Art historians and curators had warned for years that a major fire drama would finally happen : well, now it has, and it doesn't look like it is going to change anything.

Not sure if this is wanted or helpful. But Father Bartus sent this yesterday:

To the Faithful in the Ordinariate in Southern California,
I write as the Notre Dame in Paris burns. This past year we have seen a renewal of the destruction of our faith and morals. Whatever immediate cause of the fire at the cathedral in Paris, the metaphysical indictment is clear: we have lost our collective soul. Fundamentalist Secularists and militant Muslims alike are openly celebrating the fire. The majority does lament the loss of an important cultural landmark, but only a small faithful Catholic remnant sung the Ave Maria while watching it burn.
This comes on the heels of a second wave of clerical abuse and a disproportional response from the Catholic hierarchy. It comes on the heels of a Church currently having many who are teaching anything other than the full faith. It comes on the heels of a new rise of agnosticism and atheism among the younger generations.
The words of my godfather, Charles Coulombe, ring true:
“Against all of that evil and the temptation to despair, I can only offer in the public sphere: Altar, Throne, Hearth and Cottage, Subsidiarity and Solidarity; and in the private sphere prayer and the Sacraments, nostalgia and good humour, friendship and travel, fine food and wine, and music and video. Those are our weapons, my friends, with which to respond to the shrieking legions of the night. As J.R.R. Tolkien wrote: ‘There, peeping among the cloud- wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.’"
I have heard that, while sad, this is just a building, and it can be rebuilt. While true, the theology behind its original construction, and the craftsmanship, which it inspired, is long lost among most. Not only is it lost, it is distorted. I pray that near- perfect replication can occur, but a church – especially a cathedral – is not “just a building.” It is a holy house; it is a temple of God. We as Catholics understand that the physical is to be sanctified by God’s grace. Grace perfects nature. Yes, the French State owned the property, stolen from the Church. Yes, there were very few of the French who would faithfully worship in it. But even if there were none, it is sacred, much more than a mere cultural landmark. As Our Lord himself said, “I tell you, if [my disciples] were silent, the very stones would cry out (Lk. 10:40).”
1
The allusion to The Lord of the Rings is truer in our day than even Tolkien’s. Indeed, the Notre Dame lasted through the evil of the French Revolution and Napoleon. It lasted through two world wars. But it has not lasted our more “quiet” (Post)modern Revolution. This is a revolution against the family, against the Church herself, and against truth itself. Today’s travesty is symptomatic of the moral and spiritual collapse. It could have been accidental, it could have been workers not taking proper care or protestors in the area not caring, or it could have been an act of sabotage; whatever the direct reason, it did not happen in previous ages. It happened in ours. Let that sink in.
There has been no new scientific (empirical) or philosophical discovery that has revealed theism, the Natural Law, or much less Catholicism, as false. Rather, what we are seeing is a widespread abandon of these things in favor of selfish passions; without robust education about the truth, our friends, family, and co-workers are abandoning reason itself; we are seen increasingly as backwards, medieval, and intolerant, and the Catholic faith and Church are hated more and more, by both people within and without. This is indicative of this spiritual crisis, just as the burning of the Notre Dame is symbolic of it. The crisis ultimately stems from disbelief, of whatever degree, in God and a selfish indulgence of the passions and a forsaking of the virtues. Reason itself erodes eventually.
But heed these words by Prof. Robert George: “Fire destroys. But fire also purifies and renews. Our faith and our civilization are desperately in need of purification and renewal. Let it begin.” In the words of St. Paul, “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Eph. 6:12).”
This is Monday in Holy Week. We still have the rest of the Week to go (let the reader understand; cf. Mk 13:14; Dn. 9:27). Good Friday may be coming, but so is Easter Sunday!
Je vous salue, Marie pleine de grâce;
le Seigneur est avec vous.
Vous êtes bénie entre toutes les femmes et Jésus, le fruit de vos entrailles, est béni.
Sainte Marie, Mère de Dieu,
priez pour nous pauvres pécheurs, maintenant et à l’heure de notre mort.

>> It is truly a miracle that anything is still standing.

Yes and that the relics were apparently saved.

I was thinking about the relics. How the French put the relics of Sts. Denis and Genevieve into the spire to protect the church. And I thought, yet it burned.
well it did; but not all of it did; not by a long shot. I don't think it's out of line to believe that they had a hand in that.

Old, dry wood ignites easily flames spread quickly. It is truly a miracle that anything is still standing.

Agreed on that. I remember being told years ago that if our WWII era Army barracks caught fire, we better be out in 30 seconds if we wanted to survive. However, newer fire retardants are pretty effective and it might be worth the cost to treat exposed wood during a major renovation. Who knows, maybe they will.

True. I have wondered about replacing lead roofing given environmental concerns. Newer materials would take considerable weight off the structure.

French Churches Being Vandalized

Noel

I should have said "not fire resistant". The Victorians learned that cast iron structures could fail in major fires.

I am happiest that the roses and the other windows survived. It is good that the organ seems to have suffered relatively little damage. While, of course, we couldn't replace the Cavallais-Coll, we do have builders who could have built a new instrument of appropriate quality. The windows, though, could never have been replaced. Though we have excellent stained glass artists today, even their glass is not of XIIth century quality.
As it is, though, we may rejoice that the glass and the organ survived, as did the structure itself - except for relatively small portions of the vault.

You are right about Viollet-le-Duc. He and Pugin would have made a good team. With both of them it was a matter more of a highly romanticised, idealised Gothic rather than what we would call today 'authentic'. I don't know, though, about the glass - how much of the original glass remained when Viollet did his 'restoration'. You are right again, though: what both of them lacked in 'authenticity' they made up for in taste (most of the time)!

Deleted - duplicate

(Noel Jones posted the article above - forgot where I had seen it and was posting same article. Very well-written - thanks, Noel, for posting it!!)

We have pretty good "maîtres verriers" here in France, so replacing the lost stained glass is not really a problem. Did you know the last stained glass window in Chartres cathedral has been made in 2008 ? And there is a beautiful story about it.

However, one of the roses hasn't undergone any major restoration since the 13th century, and the two others are still mainly 13th century stained glass, so I'm still relieved they're safe ! Now they will need to be put down and thoroughly cleaned and checked for any lead trouble.

Not sure if this is wanted or helpful. But Father Bartus

It is helpful to be reminded that some of our neighbors have to live in fear of calumny; here's one of several general surveys of the hoaxes.

France lost the faith long before anyone even thought of the Novus Ordo. Give me a break!

No Muslims this time.

So far. It takes more than 20 minutes to determine the cause of a fire. We will ALL be happy if that is the final official ruling after due diligence. We're not there yet.

Much of Europe and the United States is in need of conversion. We are all, if not mission territory, too close for comfort. I don't look to the Vatican or any conferences of bishops for a solution.

France isn't the only country that neglects its monuments. It is always easy to put the money available on other projects.

What of the video that captured a single strangely dressed man running along the out side upper most area of one of the bell towers just as the fire began to appear from the outside of the spire? Supposedly, the cathedral had been closed, there were no crew around, all equipment had been properly stored away, the restoration team are extremely highly specialized and certified, the cathedral staff had gone, no one in the cathedral. YET this lone strangely dressed man is running along the outside upper area of one bell towers. Something is odd here and begs investigation. I've seen this video clip and it is very curious.

If we're going to indulge equivalencies as something required, we'd also have to require the indulgence of that of an anti-Islamic false-flag operation....