4,000 miles away, Notre Dame fire strikes a chord on campus
-
Fire engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris at approximately 11:30 a.m. CST. Early damage reports suggest as much as two-thirds of the roof has been destroyed but its two front towers appear to have been saved. The cathedral’s wooden frame dates from the year 1220, with some of trees making up the frame cut down between 1160 and 1170. Construction of Notre Dame began in 1163.
LeLaisserPasserA38 via Creative Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Incendie_Notre_Dame_de_Paris.jpg'
-
Traveling to Paris on three separate occasions, AP European History teacher Kristen Mayfield (left), stands in front of Notre Dame during a study abroad trip in 2009. On each trip to France’s capital, Mayfield has visited Notre Dame, with her most recent time coming in the summer of 2018.
'
-
Standing on a bridge over the river Seine, senior Wade Glover and his sister, freshman Sydney Glover, pose for a picture in front of Notre Dame during a family trip to France in December 2018.
'
-
Traveling throughout Europe in the summer of 2018, AP U.S. History teacher Emily Griffin stands in front of Notre Dame. “As a history teacher, and as somebody who appreciates history, it’s hard to see something so easily collapse that’s been around for years and has been so symbolic,” Griffin said.
'
-
The Cathedral’s flèche or spire was destroyed in Monday’s fire. After the original spire was removed in 1786, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc recreated it, making a new version of oak covered with lead that weighed in at 750 tons.
'
-
Operating as a Catholic church for centuries, Notre Dame has become more than a cathedral as it is considered by many to be a masterpiece of architecture.
'
-
The cornerstone of Notre Dame was laid in 1163, with construction continuing until 1345. The cathedral is the most popular monument in Paris with more than 12 million people visiting it each year, almost double the number of visitors to the Eiffel Tower.
'
-
Despite Monday’s fire, the bell towers of Notre Dame appear to have been saved from damage. The cathedral has 10 bells, with each one having a name.
'
One of the most iconic and religious buildings in the world suffered massive damage Monday evening after a fire broke out. The Notre Dame Cathedral fire started 5 or 6 minutes after the cathedral closed at 11:30 a.m. CST and burned for approximately nine hours before being contained.
With more than 12 million visitors every year, Notre Dame is the most popular destination in Paris, nearly doubling the number of visitors to the Eiffel Tower.
Among the millions of visitors in 2018, AP European History teacher Kristen Mayfield.
“It’s a symbol of Paris,” Mayfield said. “I think seeing that destroyed just kind of hurts the French people. It is such a symbol for them. I think it would be like if Congress all of a sudden got set ablaze, but I think it’s a lot more because it survived the French Revolution. It survived World War I and World War II, plans to actually blow up the building and destroy it. When the Catholic Church was banned during the French Revolution, it still stood. So the fact that it made it through all of that kind of shows the French resolve and then for it to just be a fire because of construction. It’s just really sad.”
Joining Mayfield on a trip to visit Notre Dame in 2018 was AP U.S. History teacher Emily Griffin who broke the news to Mayfield during Monday’s advisory period.
“It honestly makes me sick to my stomach just because historical landmarks are so important to preserving history,” Griffin said. “As a history teacher, and as somebody who appreciates history, it’s hard to see something so easily collapse that’s been around for years and has been so symbolic.”
One of the first on campus to see the news of the fire burning was senior Wade Glover, who visited Notre Dame with his family four months ago.
“It’s really sad just as both a work of art and just a cultural place in France,” Glover said. “I visited in December on Christmas Eve, and there were people everywhere. There’s even a plaque in the middle of the plaza in front of it, and it reads the ‘heart of Paris’. This cathedral is something that’s definitely a staple for that community but it’s also a world famous monument to Christianity, to famous architecture. There’s a lot that went into this building, and it’s so sad to see pictures of it and videos of it on fire. It’s heartbreaking.”
Visiting Notre Dame three times over the year, Monday’s fire hit Mayfield both professionally and personally.
“I teach world history and European history,” Mayfield said. “The cathedral is a big part of both. It’s a symbol of that style of Gothic architecture. I use it as an example, when I’m teaching that, for me personally. The first time I went to Europe, it was one of the first big buildings that really kind of stood out to me. And I mean, I was just an all with the architecture and the stained glass windows and the religious meaning behind it, but also just the cultural representation of it. So I think It’s very sad day.”
With the fire contained, French president Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild Notre Dame late Monday evening (CST).
“It is with pride I tell you tonight we will rebuild this cathedral,” Macron said in a news conference. “We will rebuild Notre Dame because it is what the French expect of us, it is what our history deserves, it is, in the deepest sense, our destiny.”
Shreya is a senior and this is her fourth year in wingspan. As a senior, she finds almost everyone annoying and hates when underclassmen accidentally touch...
