Interesting how quickly the tone of the reports of the fire at Nôtre Dame cathedral in Paris has changed. The fire took hold about 4.30 yesterday and crowds watched in horror as the spire toppled. There was a sense of despair, of national calamity. This morning, the news reports are praising the extraordinary work of the fire brigade and talking about reconstruction.
Indeed there are reasons for optimism. For a start the nine copper statues of saints that ran around the spire were all removed for restoration only last week. Charmingly, one of these has the face of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc who restored the spire in the mid-19th century. Many other artworks were saved, including the sacred relic of the Crown of Thorns (which used to be kept at the top of the spire to protect against lightning but was luckily moved last century to the safety of the Treasury).
The story is all about emotion. Historic buildings become important symbols of national pride and identity. They connect us directly to our history and make us realise that there is continuity from generation to generation. Cathedrals are particularly powerful icons. Built for the glory of God, they act as immutable centrepieces in our rapidly changing cityscapes. We cannot imagine the view down the Seine without Nôtre Dame any more than we can imagine the London skyline without St Paul's.
These two cathedrals have a lot in common, after all both survived the Nazis in World War Two and became something of a symbol of national survival. And St Paul's was also a victim of fire. The spire (reputedly taller than Salisbury Cathedral's) collapsed in a fire in 1561 and when the Great Fire of London raged in 1666, it took the medieval cathedral of St Paul's with it. Our 'new' St Paul's is, of course, the work of Sir Christopher Wren who had always wanted to get rid of the old gothic cathedral in favour of something contemporary and classical.
Luckily, it seems that this will not be the fate of Nôtre Dame. The 12th century gothic stonework, with its famous flying buttresses, has survived. Restoration is possible. Today, we have the skills, and most importantly, the emotional will to restore our historic landmarks. It takes a while. At home, the fire at Windsor Castle in 1992 caused catastrophic damage to one wing which was not restored and reopened until late 1997. We don't know yet for sure when we will see the reopening of the National Trust's Clandon House, gutted by fire in 2015. Just as now we regard the new St Paul's as just part of its long complicated history and still treasure it as a symbol of London's longevity, so Notre Dame's history has been one of creation, recreation and restoration. This is perhaps just the next phase in its existence. Nôtre Dame will rise again and retain its status as the symbol of France, just don't book a trip to Paris to see it for a couple of years yet.
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