As firefighters tirelessly worked to put out the last of thedevastating Notre Dame Cathedral fire, there was a small glimmer of hope for churchgoers and tourists alike, as the cross still standing in the smoldering structure.
While mostly everything inside the cathedral seemed to be damaged from the flames or covered in smoke and ash, the giant white cross in the front of the building was miraculously captured still standing and lit up amongst the darkness.
Even from afar, with parts of the roof still burning and embers falling down onto the charred pews, the cross was brightly shining down the cathedral’s aisle.
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The fire alarms were triggered at the cathedral, which is undergoing a $6.8 million restoration, around 6:30 p.m. local time.
Notre Dame Cathedral.YOAN VALAT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Shortly after, French PresidentEmmanuel Macron delivered a speech,in which he said thecathedral would be rebuiltand a public fundraising drive would open Tuesday morning in France.
“The worst has been avoided, but the battle isn’t fully won yet,” French President Emmanuel Macron told crowds in a speech given outside of the church.
“It is with pride I tell you tonight we will rebuild this cathedral,” he added. “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.”
Notre Dame Cathedral.Godong/UIG via Getty Images
Notre Dame Cathedral.PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images
As the landmark burned, pedestrians flooded the streets to watch the blaze, many in tears, one Paris resident tells PEOPLE. A crowd evengathered together to sing “Ave Maria”near the cathedral.
Many others took to Twitter to document the horrifying scene. “It feels like the end of the world,”one user wrote. “It’s getting worse. But the fire brigade has turned up. Hard to see how [to] tackle this. The plume of smoke is already 100s of feet long.”
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In the wake of the fires and President Macron’s promise to rebuild the structure,Salma Hayek‘s husbandFrançois-Henri Pinaultpledged €100 million (over US $113 million) tohelp with the cathedral’s reconstruction.
FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty
source: people.com
