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A place of breathtaking beauty, a repository of 857 years of history, an iconic symbol of one of the world\u2019s great cities, a timeless celebration of Christian faith, a magnet for 12 million pilgrims from every corner of the Earth, the handiwork of thousands of craftsmen, the site where Henry VI of England was crowned King of France and Napoleon I was coronated, a cavernous space where billions of people speaking every known language have sung their praises and said their silent prayers, burned and burned and burned Monday as the world watched in powerless agony.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
It is in Notre Dame where the Crown of Thorns that Jesus Christ wore sits on display, where a piece of the Cross on which He was crucified is preserved. They, thank God, were saved, and officials say the main structure has been saved, but much of the flammable structure within the stone exterior was not.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
From when its cornerstone was laid in 1163, it took 182 painstaking years to erect its choir and basilica and buttresses and towers and vaults and naves. Its roof, a marvel of engineering \u2014 much of which turned to black ash Monday \u2014 was made of 13,000 oak trees cut in the 12th century. Its 295-food-high spire \u2014 which toppled as stomachs turned \u2014 was rebuilt in the 19th century.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Over the course of hours, oxygen fed flames and in instants destroyed the work of centuries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Pray its precious stained glass and its organ and its bells were not scarred, or, if they were, can be restored. Be grateful to firefighters for staving off worse damage, and for preventing any no human beings from perishing in the conflagration. That is a blessing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n