That evening, 15 April 2019 I went to the mass, at 7:30 pm and when I left it was 8 o'clock. I remember I sent some voice-messages to my Memphisian aunt and then I returned home. My mother started to asking me who was at the mass while there was a breaking news on TV, pretty shocking: Notre-Dame de Paris was burning.
A new love-story between me and France was starting again after decades of passivity and thanks to the American bookstore Shakespere and Company located in Paris.
I remembered that I studied French per several years, and I thought that it would have been a pity neglecting this big country, culture, people, absolutely friendly and amicable for other time.
Notre-Dame is a part of the existence of all french people it's part of their identity, but this cathedral is also the most important one of all Europe and the entire catholic world.
After some days, when I discovered that the French government opened an international fund raising I donated a very small amount of money. I told to a relative who worked once in Notre-Dame, when he called me: "They can just buy a sac of cement with what I donated but it is a something."
340.000 donors from France and other 150 countries in the world for a total of 830 millions of euros reached. There were many remarkable donors in every part of the world, for helping a quick restoration of the injured Cathedral.
A cathedral this one that bewitched Victor Hugo; while Joris-Karl Huysmans in the little book Notre-Dame de Paris released by Editions de l'Herné guessed maybe what would have happened, stigmatizing as "Revoltant" the installation of electricity in Notre-Dame.
Once I made this donation, after a while the French president Emmanuel Macron sent to all of us, donors a video message for thanking us all for having donated something; plus we have always been updated via e-mail regarding the progression of works in the Cathedral; the Centre des Monuments Nationaux sends periodically e-mails.
Last December I also received an e-mail: they asked me if I wanted to buy La Fabrique de Notre-Dame Journal des Donateurs; this one
is the first issue.
It is beautiful
and explains step-by-step what happened that horrible april 15th; the idea of an international fund raising, and then words go to that people who started to put in security what was left behind by the big fire; so statues and other objects of value put somewhere else for being cured, vaults, barrells have been consolidated, arcs have been put in security, and much more of this has been done.
In this cathedral are working miriads of different people for the most diversified works and reasons and for giving new life, and a best aeternal future to this cathedral.
Philippe Villeneuve, architect, explains that "when a person works in an historical monument is necessary a bit of culture, practical skills, and a lot of modesty" underlined that they are there for a restauration loyal to the spirit of origin of the damaged monument and not for "architectural gestures."
Of all the people involved in the rebuilt of Notre-Dame gone destroyed there are the "Cordistes". It is not a work pretty known but surely you musn't suffer of diziness for doing this! They have been the first workers involved immediately after the fire; two days after the fire 40 cordistes were on the roof of Notre-Dame. They have put in security the roof, preventing other potential fallings.
Some history of Notre-Dame. The first stone and so the inauguration of works in 1163. There was in the past another church and the Ile de la Cité was the biggest center of power of the king. In that historical moment Louis VII le Jeune was in power. Did the Pope assisted at the inauguration? It is unclear, but the Pope probably was in France till the previous year so it is not impossible.
Anna Maria Polidori
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