Notre Dame | Kathy, The Picture Lady

If you’ve been following the news, you know that more of Notre Dame has survived than anyone could have hoped!

The bell towers still stand, as does much of the outer shell, thanks to those flying buttresses built long ago by Medieval stonemasons and the heroic efforts of Paris’ firemen. What wonderful news!

Pray for the fireman who was injured.

One incredible video shows firemen looking into the nave and the undamaged cross on the altar shines brightly, while the stone walls still soar upward. Amazing!

Many Gothic churches have suffered as much or more damage in the past from fires, wars, and storms and have been rebuilt. In my recent post about Rouen cathedral, I mentioned the devastation it received from bombing in WWII, and Chartre rose again from the flames way back in the late 1100s. President Macron has promised Notre Dame de Paris will be rebuilt! And hopefully millions of visitors and worshipers will again be able to enjoy this beautiful Gothic cathedral ads stand where we did in this photo from last fall.

It was a beautiful sight to see and hear so many French people singing and praying in the streets last night. It’s been inspiring to hear the media saying things like the true church isn’t the building (as beautiful as Notre Dame was) but the people who gather there to worship God.

Perhaps best of all have been all those who have talked about seeing this destruction and the coming rebuilding as a picture of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead that we will celebrate this coming Sunday.

Please revisit kathythepicturelady blog this Thursday to see a post about another French masterpiece that was endangered during the French Revolution, but now helps all who see it stand in awe of what Christ did for us on the cross and the wonder and miracle of His resurrection.

I have been watching flames engulf Notre Dame today and as a Christian, an artist, and a teacher of Christian history, I am devastated!

The destruction of this beautiful, Gothic cathedral is an unbelievable loss to art and Christian and French history, and to Paris, France, and the world.

I saw Notre Dame de Paris in person for the first time last fall and loved every part of it from its steeple and flying buttresses to its statues and stained glass windows. We explored the cathedral inside and out and went to a mass to hear the organ and see the church as it was meant to be–a house of worship.

We were in Paris a number of days and stayed so near Notre Dame that we passed it almost every day as we came and went to other churches and museums. I now recognize the places from which all the photos of the fire are being taken and I just can’t believe such destruction is happening to this 800 year-old, world-renowned Christian cathedral!

The steeple and the roof are gone. While we wait to know how much will survive, here are some photos we took that bring tears to my eyes but I still want to try to remember Notre Dame de Paris as this beautiful church.

Please pray with me that there will be no loss of life from this terrible fire and it will not spread to surrounding buildings!