Notre Dame will always be Paris
A severe knot oppresses the throat when, arriving home, between the streets, you see a ** great cloud of smoke over Notre Dame ** and minutes later, the devastating news announces the nightmare; it is burning and its intense flames devour its structure, its roof and the slender arrow… before the astonished and helpless gaze of the Parisians.
Around him you can breathe the desolation of the passers-by, the unprecedented emotion when contemplating the overwhelming collapse of the most emblematic gothic cathédrale in the world. That one erected with magnificence at a time when man looked towards the sky, fades in the 21st century, charred and vulnerable.
The City of Love witnessed the sinister spectacle with stupefaction. The apologetic incredulous and perched on the bridges obtained the best perspective of the surprising smoke between orange and white, as a gloomy and poetic waiting for the traditional "white smoke".
In 1163 the first stone of Notre Dame was raised and construction continued almost 200 years . Since then, for eight centuries, it has been a witness to the life and history of the City of Light and a protagonist in important events such as the beatification of Joan of Arc by Pope Pius X or the consecration and coronation of Napoleon.
An already impossible postcard
Its architecture is admired and studied by all, characterized by its magnificent vaults, its spectacular flying buttresses and buttresses, the terrifying gargoyles, its beautiful rose windows, its rich relics and the mystical height and luminosity of its nave, inspiration of numerous churches.
Fearing never to see her again, one feels Parisian , as if his own home was on fire. Notre Dame is a great reference point for Catholicism, but beyond religious beliefs, it is a powerful French and world cultural and architectural icon. Its serene silhouette stands out day by day in the relief of the île de la Cité, surrounded by the Seine; it is the most visited monument in France; kilometer zero; It is the scene of the famous literary work of Victor Hugo and was portrayed by painters such as Picasso, Monet, Pissarro, Matisse, Edward Hopper or De Chirico.
On Monday, a jewel of the World Heritage Site vanished and the gray sky of Paris took on a different hue, impregnated with mourning: the French capital will never see the majestic cathedral in its entirety again, and her descendants will know her only in books …
Yesterday, even with the latent embers, for many it was too early to approach the unreal and disastrous scenario; today, thousands of “Parisians” timidly approached to discover with chills his blackened skeleton , as if it had recovered the color of the soot of yesteryear.
Paris will always be Notre Dame
But just 48 hours after the tragic event, passionate ideas of renewal are already beginning to flourish, thanks to the signs of hope found among the ruins and ashes, such as the surviving sculpture of the descent from the cross of the altar, the bronze rooster of his “spiritual lightning rod”, some of his paintings or the crown of thorns, as a symbol of a promise. To remind his faithful that, as in times past, He does not give up.
It is not the first time that Our Lady suffers and struggles to get up; the great temple has survived epidemics, desecrations, wars, liberations … Proving her resilience each time. Already in the middle of the 19th century and for twenty years there was an enormous reconstruction by the hand of the architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc that restored its splendor.
This afternoon, the bells of churches throughout France ring in unison in tribute to Notre Dame de Paris, to call for prayer and to mitigate the breach in the hearts of all.
After another hard blow in recent years, Paris is screaming defiantly again, silently but with more strength and optimism than ever. As its motto says, fluctuat nec mergitur, Paris "is beaten by the waves, but not sunk."