A devastating loss for the world.
Paris, nous pleurons avec vous.
Paris, nous pleurons avec vous.
Sung to London Bridge is Falling Down:
Notre Dame is burning down, burning down, burning down
Notre Dame is burning down our fair lady.
What? Too soon? Too iconoclastic? Okay.
Too soon. It's like saying "Go full power-up," in 1986.
Interestingly, insofar as this is particularly interesting to me--most of the online despair I've seen is coming from non-Catholics and people who view Notre Dame as a more-or-less secular symbol of French pride, heritage, and unity. There is, of course, absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's also fascinating how my non-Catholic friends are posting how they'd been spiritually overwhelmed, personally, when visiting and experiencing Notre Dame.
The Catholic sites I've seen tend to have a more pragmatic view of it. E.g., it's a tragedy, but no lives were lost, relics and artwork were saved, many of the parts that burned needed to be replaced anyway, the church is a place that represents something larger than the building itself.
Too soon. It's like saying "Go full power-up," in 1986.
Interestingly, insofar as this is particularly interesting to me--most of the online despair I've seen is coming from non-Catholics and people who view Notre Dame as a more-or-less secular symbol of French pride, heritage, and unity. There is, of course, absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's also fascinating how my non-Catholic friends are posting how they'd been spiritually overwhelmed, personally, when visiting and experiencing Notre Dame.
The Catholic sites I've seen tend to have a more pragmatic view of it. E.g., it's a tragedy, but no lives were lost, relics and artwork were saved, many of the parts that burned needed to be replaced anyway, the church is a place that represents something larger than the building itself.
Too soon. It's like saying "Go full power-up," in 1986.
Interestingly, insofar as this is particularly interesting to me--most of the online despair I've seen is coming from non-Catholics and people who view Notre Dame as a more-or-less secular symbol of French pride, heritage, and unity. There is, of course, absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's also fascinating how my non-Catholic friends are posting how they'd been spiritually overwhelmed, personally, when visiting and experiencing Notre Dame.
The Catholic sites I've seen tend to have a more pragmatic view of it. E.g., it's a tragedy, but no lives were lost, relics and artwork were saved, many of the parts that burned needed to be replaced anyway, the church is a place that represents something larger than the building itself.
It's the depth of grief and sadness which surprises me. Fifty-five percent of the French population identifies as Catholic but only 5% practice the faith. The cathedral narrowly escaped destruction during the Revolution. As centers and symbols of despotic power I don't know why anyone would shed a tear if either or both Versailles or Notre Dame burned.
Don't forget that Notre Dame--Our Lady, Our Mother Church--continues to work hard to deny women reproductive choice and thinks divorce should be illegal as well. And that's the short list of her evils.
The ancient artwork? The stained glass? Beautiful though it was for most of its 800 year history it was all in aid of indoctrinating and pacifying a credulous illiterate population, terrifying them with the promise of eternal torture in flames. How lovely.
Excuse me but relics? Does anyone believe for a second that ND housed the actual crown of thorns or wood from the actual cross?
How many average person dwellings still exist from the middle ages, pray?
How many average person dwellings still exist from the middle ages, pray?
Perhaps more "average person dwellings" from the Middle Ages would have survived if the church had build good housing for people instead of massive stone edifices which consolidated power of the oligarchs over the people. The average person lived in a hovel and was owned by the aristocracy.
Translation:Bisogna chiarire subito una cosa: la cattedrale non è andata distrutta. Non bisogna ricostruire la cattedrale, ma il tetto.
Le travi di legno che sorreggono la copertura in piombo non sono a vista, ma sopra la volta in pietra. Possono essere rifatte con legno lamellare, più leggero e con trattamento ignifugo. Non ha importanza che le travi siano uguali a prima. Non si vedono, non hanno importanza dal punto di vista estetico, ma dal punto di vista strutturale.
Non c'è nulla di tragico, Notre Dame è stata rimaneggiata più volte e la guglia crollata è dell'800. In Italia il Teatro alla Scala di Milano è stato borbandato durante la seconda guerra mondiale, il Petruzzelli è andato a fuoco, la Fenice pure.
Il campanile in piazza San Marco a Venezia è crollato e poi ricostruito, la mole Antonelliana a Torino colpita da un fulmine, la cupola del Guarini (Sindone) è andata a fuoco, ad Assisi col terremoto è caduta una volta con gli affreschi di Giotto, insomma tutte strutture rinate. A Parigi con 700 milioni di euro in donazione direi che non ci si debba preoccupare più di tanto. Notre Dame tornerà più bella di prima, magari non in cinque anni.