The fire, which occurred in the midst of a $6.8 million renovation project, severely damaged the roof, spire and wood surrounding the 12th-century place of worship.
Hours after the fire was contained, videos were posted on social media from outside the cathedral showing dozens of spectators somberly singing “Ave Maria” in unison.
Twitter user Ignacio Gil, a French correspondent, posted footage of the singing crowd on his account Monday afternoon. In the last frame of the 37-second clip, the Notre Dame Cathedral is seen burning.
— Ignacio Gil (@Inaki_Gil) April 15, 2019
The clip has been viewed more than 14 million times, shared more than 120,000 times and liked nearly 300,000 times.
On Twitter, many shared their warm regards to the moving serenade.
It took the burning down of an iconic Catholic cathedral to bring out Christians in unison in France.
— CalFreedomMom ❤️🇺🇸 (@CalFreedomMom) April 15, 2019
I have no word...😪
— lethuyduong_25 (@Lethuyduong25) April 16, 2019
Beautiful voices joining together and praying for the fire to be contained. God bless you all.
— Erikita (@ErikitainNYC) April 16, 2019
On Tuesday, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo confirmed that several of the significant religious relics were restored.
“The crown of thorns, the tunic of Saint Louis and several other major works (of art) are now in a safe place,” Hidalgo said.
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