A fire in Notre Dame de Paris: will the shrine be restored and at whose expense

The first calls for fundraising in connection with the fire in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris were made in the USA on April 15. Then celebrities, millionaires and billionaires, as well as other countries responded to the tragedy.

Horrified by the sight of the cathedral engulfed in flames, even before the fire was extinguished, people began to commit to restoring the world-famous landmark, writes “Voice of America«.

The New York Society of French Heritage and the GoFundMe crowdsourcing platform were among the first to offer help to the cathedral, which everyone is supposed to see, who came to Paris, must see.

The French Heritage Society, an American non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the architectural and cultural heritage of France, 15 April created a website on the Internet to raise funds for the restoration of the cathedral. Anyone can make a contribution from 50 to 500 euro on the organization’s website.

Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),

Apple will donate to the revival of the cathedral, promised the head of the American company Tim Cook. In this case, the head of Apple did not specify exactly what amount the company is willing to donate.

“We suffer together with the French and people around the world, for whom Notre Dame is a symbol of hope. "Apple will do its part to help restore Notre Dame's treasured legacy for future generations," Tim Cook wrote.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to open an international fundraising for the restoration of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, writes Air force.

“We will all rebuild this cathedral together - this is without a doubt part of the destiny of France, this is a project that we will be engaged in in the coming years,” President Macron said.

“The French are waiting for this because our history deserves it,” he added, calling the fire a “terrible tragedy.”

€50 million - Paris authorities

The authorities in Paris have already announced the allocation of 50 million euros, the remaining funds are planned to be raised with the help of patrons from around the world.

€10 million - Ile-de-France metropolitan region

On the subject: Fire in Notre Dame: what is unique about Notre Dame de Paris

€100 million – French businessman Francois-Henri Pinault

Francois-Henri Pinault donated € 100 million for the restoration of Notre Dame de Paris. The money is supposed to be spent on the activities needed to restore Notre Dame.

“This is a tragedy that affects all French people. Everyone wants to restore this jewel of our common heritage as soon as possible,” said Pino. The funds will be provided by the billionaire’s company Artemis, writes “Currently,«.

French businessman and president of the LVMH group of companies Bernard Arnault also promised to help with the restoration of the cathedral. “LVMH and the Arnault family have announced their intention to donate 200 million euros to help rebuild the Notre-Dame Cathedral,” BFM TV reported.

€200 million – Bernard Arnault family and LVMH

The GoFundMe site on Monday announced more than 50 campaigns around the world related to the fire in the cathedral, a representative of the platform, John Coventry, said by e-mail.

“We will begin working with authorities in the coming hours to ensure funds go where they will make the most difference,” Coventry said.

Comic campaigns also appeared, for example, “Help Quasimodo” - named after the fictional character in the novel “Notre Dame de Paris” by Victor Hugo, written in the 19th century.

What is the damage

The roof is mostly damaged, firefighters say.

“The roof is completely destroyed […] partly over the main building. The spire is destroyed,” says fire brigade spokesman Gabriel Plew.

However, it could have been worse. As the Monde newspaper writes, citing Nunez's words, if firefighters had not entered the building, “it would undoubtedly have collapsed.”

At least one of the famous window-roses has remained whole, although there are concerns about other stained glass windows.

French Culture Minister Frank Riester warns that although the cathedral frame has survived, it is unstable. Experts inside the building is not allowed.

At the time of ignition, restoration work was carried out in the cathedral due to cracks in its stone. As part of this work, 16 copper statues were taken out of the building last week.

In the past, Notre Dame Cathedral has already turned to international donors for assistance in carrying out the restoration.

In 2017, the president of the Society of Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, Michel Picot, told the New York Times that his organization planned to organize gala dinners, concerts and other events to raise funds in France and the USA for restoration work in the cathedral.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• The fire that engulfed the Paris Cathedral of Notre Dame on 15 on April extinguished. The flame destroyed the roof, the clock and the spire, as well as the wooden elements of the structure. Firemen fought with fire for more than nine hours.

• In June, 2017, at the police officers on duty near the cathedral, attacked by a lone terroristarmed with a hammer and knives. One policeman was injured, the attacker himself was injured by return fire. Because of the attacks in the cathedral, about 900 tourists were blocked.