After the Big Fire
More than a church went up in flames in the Parisian fire which destroyed the interior of the cathedral Notre-Dame, though leaving the stone façade intact. The reconstruction, already decided and well-financed has symbolic value.
Ken Follett called the medieval cathedrals in Europe ‘The Pillars of the Earth’. Notre-Dame de Paris, ‘Our Lady of Paris’, built between the 12th and the 14th Century on the Ile de la Cité, the larger of the two islands in the river Seine in the heart of Paris counted undoubtedly among them in its incomparable Gothic splendor. Past tense is appropriate as the fire has ripped the heart out of the building. The body of the church from the transept in the middle up to the two towers and down to the choir has been destroyed, leaving only the bare side walls and part of the vault standing. What 800 years of history with wars, revolutions and natural calamities have not done, was destroyed within a couple of hours by a raging fire, likely set off by workmen renovating the exterior of the roof. At least Europe, if not the world, Christian or otherwise, seemed to skip a beat in the face of seeing such a symbol of Western and Christian might apparently gone.
The conspiracy buffs quickly had their field day. The fire broke out an hour before a scheduled major speech by French President Macron, transmitted by the major TV channels, detailing the government’s answer to public dissatisfaction, spearheaded by the ‘Yellow Vest’ movement. When Macron cancelled it, due to the unfolding national disaster at Notre Dame, some yellow vests speculated that the calamity’s timing did suspiciously help Macron to switch to his favorite role of ‘pater patriae’, father of the nation in its dark hour. Which, truth be told, he did with a slightly pathetic speech, delivered at midnight in front of the still smoldering church, calling for national unity and resolve to rebuild.
On the extreme right, in a surprising parallel between the respective pundits in the US and France, dark mutterings of Islamists plot arose presently. Of course, the twittering world champion in the White House did react instantly, too. With appropriate words of commiseration was mingled a piece of free advice to the French firemen: ‘Bring in Canadair(water tank) planes’. It took the French authorities barely a half hour to point out that trying to extinguish this particular fire with massive water drops from above carried too many risks of even more damage done. In the end the Paris Fire Brigade did, according to experts in all media, a very credible job being able to save the towers and most stone walls. And evacuating some priceless treasures from the inside of the building already in full blaze.
One picture of the fire that went around the world was the Church’s spire, high over the transept falling in a blaze – the medieval one having been brought down by the French revolutionaries at the end of the 18th Century, the burnt one actually being a replica of the 19th Century. Nevertheless, a symbol was crashing down. And here is where politics started, both in France and beyond.
Macron’s France appeared for many to be the main bastion of European resolve when he first came to power. What with Angela Merkel weakened and on her way out, the UK committing political suicide with Brexit, Italy governed by the far-right and the National-Populists taking over in Eastern Europe as well as surging in Northern Europe. Then came the ‘yellow vests’, devastating the iconic Champs Elysées, scaring away tourists from all over the world from a seemingly archaic France. And now with Notre-Dame ablaze, how can anybody still rely on the enduring values of Europe, enshrined in its cultural heritage and its past global influence?
The fire, and the ensuing reconstruction might have the effect of a wake-up call helping the ‘internationalist’, pro-European side in French politics, concentrated in the person of Macron and his La République en Marche party. The first such signs are appearing in France. Almost a Billion Euros was pledged in the very first days after the fire, in an international campaign to rebuild the cathedral in all its past glory. The big part of it from French multinationals and rich individuals. But a considerable sum also through small donations from ‘the people’. They are thus heeding Macron’s call.
Will they follow him, in France and beyond in his present wider call for more European ‘nationalism’, necessitated by surging authoritarian nationalism from China, Russia, Turkey and the US of Trump? The elections to the European parliament at the end of May will be a decisive test.
Picture: Olivier Mabelly