As is doubtless news to nobody at this point the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire earlier today and is, as I type this, still burning. From the looks of it, the cathedral looks like it will end up being a virtual total loss; the main spire has collapsed and the entire wooden structure is likely to end up as ash, with the stonework fire damaged and likely to at least partly tumble. The artworks and relics inside are likely gone.
‘Everything is burning, nothing will remain’: Famed Notre Dame cathedral ablaze in Paris
I am not a religious person; certainly not a Catholic. Still, there ain’t nothin’ funny about this. Nothing culturally or economically useful to be gained by burning this 800-year old cathedral to the ground. This is just *bad.* When the Big Butter Jesus caught a lightningbolt from Thor and burned to it’s steel structure, leaving only the Terminator Jesus endoskeleton? Sorry, that sh!t was damned funny… because it was cheap, tacky, recent and easily replaced. The Notre Dame cathedral was a monument to the heights that man can aspire to and achieve even when mired in the muck and superstition of medieval Europe.
In all probability the fire was the result of the restoration work being done on it. A grinder or a welder shedding sparks, an electrical arc, spilled paint thinner, oily rags… there are a *lot* of possibilities. Doubtless an investigation will nail it down, though it’s entirely possible that some worker right now *knows* exactly what happened. And he *knows* that he’s responsible. Imagine having that on you conscience, especially if the feller is a Parisian Catholic. Yeesh.
As for turning this tragedy into a political screed, I’ll hold off on that and leave it to, of all people, German Chancellor Angela Merkel who has said that the cathedral was a “symbol of France and our European culture.” An ancient construct of surpassing beauty and genius, the envy of the world, taken for granted, inadequately cared for and finally burned to the ground: yup, that’s a good symbol of European culture.