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Discussion Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: cadence4u on April 16, 2019, 08:50:56 am
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Desperate battle to save Notre Dame’s priceless collection of art and relics: Firefighters formed a HUMAN CHAIN to save treasures – including the Crown Of Thorns from Jesus' crucifixion
* Notre Dame de Paris held a priceless collection of art and relics including the Crown of Thorns
* The relics were obtained from the Byzantine Empire in 1238 and brought to Paris by King Louis IX
* Last night the Mayor of Paris thanked firefighters and police for forming a 'formidable human chain' to save the
priceless historical artefacts
Firefighters, police, and churchmen risked their lives last night to carry priceless historical artefacts and religious relics away from the flames which engulfed Notre Dame de Paris.
The Mayor of Paris tweeted her thanks to first responders for forming 'a formidable human chain' to save irreplaceable objects including the relic believed by Catholics to be the crown of thorns which was put on Jesus' head as he died on the cross.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo went on: 'The Crown of Thorns, the tunic of Saint Louis and several other major works are now in a safe place.'
And Father Fournier, Chaplain of the Paris Firefighters, told reporters he went into the burning cathedral to save the Blessed Sacrament and Crown of Thorns.
Parisians applauded and cheered fire crews as they drove through the streets in the early hours of the morning.
The church's treasure trove of priceless artworks and religious relics include the Crown of Thorns said to have been placed on the head of Jesus before he was crucified, a piece of the True Cross on which he is said to have died and a nail from the crucifixion.
The relics were obtained from the Byzantine Empire in 1238 and brought to Paris by King Louis IX.
Notre Dame is also home to priceless paintings dating back to the 1600s, including a series known as the Petits Mays, gifted to the cathedral once a year from 1630 to 1707.
Among the most celebrated artworks are three stained-glass rose windows high up on the west, north and south faces of the cathedral.
Notre Dame's Great Organ, which dates back to the 13th century and was restored in the early 1990s, is considered the most famous in the world, with five keyboards and nearly 8,000 pipes.
Last night firemen at the scene said all efforts were being directed at saving artwork in the cathedral and preventing the collapse of its northern tower.
'Everything is collapsing,' a police officer near the scene said as the cathedral continued to burn.
The ten bells of Notre Dame are renowned across Europe and the first nine are named Marie, Gabriel, Anne-Genevieve, Denis, Marcel, Etienne, Benoit-Joseph, Maurice, and Jean-Marie.
The final and largest, known as the bourdon bell Emmanuel, weighs more than 13 tonnes. It sits in the southern tower and has been a part of the building since 1681.
In 1944, Emmanuel was rung in celebration and triumph by French troops and allies to announce to the city that it was on its way to liberation.
The famous gargoyles and chimera that adorn Notre Dame were built in the 19th century by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. The original purpose of the gargoyles was to assist with the building's drainage, but they have become one of its most-loved features.
In the 1790s, Notre Dame was desecrated during the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed and its treasures plundered.
The 28 statues of biblical kings located at the west facade, mistaken for statues of French kings, were beheaded.
All of the other large statues on the facade, with the exception of that of the Virgin Mary on the portal of the cloister, were destroyed.
The cathedral was restored over 25 years after the publication of the book The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo in 1831 brought it into the spotlight.
Sixteen statues that were part of the cathedral's destroyed spire were safe and unscathed after being removed as part of a renovation a few days ago, and that the relics had also been saved.
The green-grey statues, representing the 12 apostles and four evangelists, were apparently lowered by cranes from the site and taken away.
The cathedral also has a spectacular series of carved wooden stalls and statues representing the Passion of the Christ.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6925737/Desperate-battle-save-Notre-Dames-priceless-collection-art-relics.html
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I saw this on the news. I would have thought some of the more ancient relics would have been in fire proof vaults.
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I'm glad they were able to save some of the relics. What a terrible event to happen right before Easter.
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Where is Your Treasure?
“Where your treasure is, there your hearts will be also.”—Luke 12:34.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1978846
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From what I saw it was not as bad as what they were first saying
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I saw this on the news and was so sad. Ive never had the funds to go places like that to see such beauty. I never realized it was that old!
Then today I heard that France no longer has the large trees to cut down to replace the wooden structures that burned
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It was so surreal to watch this unfold on the news. I thought they would have had some more fireproof storage for those relics.
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This was just horrible but luckily there were some paintings that had been removed to be cleaned and they weren’t in there and I Saw tonight on the news where people were donating Lots of money to help rebuild so hopefully things will be OK
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Luckily some of the artifacts were removed days prior to this accident. It still doesn't account for the feeling of loss by the fire.
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Oh, what a tragedy!
Construction of this magnificent structure started on March 24, 1163.
Unfortunately, at the time of the fire, it contained too many flammables.
It took a lot of time for the Paris Fire Department to get to the fire location.
Some made comments that the fire could have been approach by using aerial
firefighting equipment. Special airplanes used to combat fires by air.
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So sad. Hopefully they can rebuild.
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This is just terrible. I am thankful the artwork was not destroyed.
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did they ever find out what started the fire?
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Oh, what a tragedy!
Construction of this magnificent structure started on March 24, 1163.
Unfortunately, at the time of the fire, it contained too many flammables.
It took a lot of time for the Paris Fire Department to get to the fire location.
Some made comments that the fire could have been approach by using aerial
firefighting equipment. Special airplanes used to combat fires by air.
They didn't use the airplanes because that would have collapsed the whole structure and done more damage.
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This is just terrible. I am thankful the artwork was not destroyed.
Electrical short-circuit is believed to have started Notre Dame blaze, investigators believe
Investigators believe an 'electrical short circuit' was responsible for starting the blaze which devastated Notre Dame cathedral this week.
A French judicial police official said investigators brought in to work out the cause of the inferno made the claims - despite them not having been given access to the church yet for safety reasons.
The official, who spoke anonymously about the ongoing investigation, said the monument is still being consolidated with wooden planks to support some fragile parts of the walls.
Only after it is fully made safe will investigators will be allowed a closer look in order to accurately determine the cause of the fire.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6935889/Time-lapse-camera-Notre-Dames-roof-help-reveal-cause-fire.html
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Very sad story indeed, though it's great to see that a lot of the relics were preserved....question is how much $ should be put into rebuilding it?
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My daughter came home from school and was filling me in on the news of the fire. She said it was big. That everyone was talking about it. But she couldn't tell me what. Other than it's location she didn't know anything. It wasn't until this morning I caught a blip on yahoo - now I'm saddened by the destruction but enlightened by the efforts.