Before I start complaining about how there could be a fire this destructive at a sight like this, let me get to the bottom of what really bothers me about it: how is this the biggest news story of the month? I am a huge fan of Notre Dame, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and a cultural treasure chest that impacts lives. Yes, the beauty and significance of Notre Dame could hardly be overestimated. At the same time, I had to wonder: why is social media going nuts over this? It's a fire, and people who have actually visited Notre Dame would know it's not the first one. Within hours we thankfully learned that the building was not lost, although many treasures were, like its spire. But: is the attention this is getting justified?
Ask a historical or art lover, or a Frenchman, and the answer is probably yes. I agree that this fire is bad news but isn't this what happens when you try to keep an ancient cathedral around for centuries? I was sad to see it happening and scared this masterpiece would be lost. At the same time, I knew that probably wouldn't happen. Fires destroying parts of medieval buildings is not a new concept either. Go to anywhere in East London and you will find it a pretty great place to be despite it being completely destroyed back in the day. Let's not even talk about Berlin which was destroyed not even by fire but human beings, the much more ridiculous force of nature.
The cathedral on the Île-de-la-Cité I visited in January had only existed in that shape much less than 200 years. As far as I remember from my recent trip, I was surprised to see how little of Notre Dame was actually 800 years old. The surrounding buildings were older than most of Notre Dame. Parts being destroyed and rebuilt were literally part of the history of the building, so big deal, we will have to do it again. Of course that doesn't trivialize just how crap the news were of Notre Dame being on fire but the truth, in my eyes, is that nobody got harmed and thanks to Emmanuel Macron's bulletproof austerity plans the French reserves will be filled with eligible dough to bring back our lady, eh?
Oh, what a beautiful bridge: could this be a political issue? I sure hope so. The minute I saw the news alert, I said to my colleague that it'd be interesting to see how Macron was going to justify the insane amount of money this project will cost to the Yellow Vests at the Place de la Republique on a Friday afternoon. The reason we don't build monuments like the Notre Dame anymore is that it's too effing expensive. Sure, in the Middle Ages, when wages for church builders were optional, something like this could exist because leaders were vain, but how are they going to justify that expense today? Good thing a couple of billionaires already provided all the money.
I totally get why people are outraged. Grenfell was on fire two years ago and I don't remember seeing that amount of money anywhere, never mind from the government. This ridonculous bill will hopefully buy Notre Dame a new roof that is not like the last one. When old is destroyed, let's find a way to express what is new. The French government will be able to hire the biggest designers on this planet, they will undoubtedly have a vision for the building that is current but true to the original heritage or the building. When the Twin Towers came down, I don#t think anyone would have suppested to rebuild them. What we have instead is a new era. And I hope we can have a new era of Notre Dame. And a new era for France not too much later after that as well...
