As people across the globe watched the century-old heritage site, Notre-Dame Cathedral die down in flames, these European fashion houses have pledged to rebuild it.
Paris: Terming it as an end of an era, the unfortunate fire incident at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday, has left many across the world shocked. The landmark heritage site was undergoing renovation at the time of the fire that also caused it's spire to collapse.
The incident was captured on many camera phones and proceeded to get circulated widely on social media sites. The fire was finally brought under control after eight hours on Tuesday morning as the firefighters tried to rescue religious relics and priceless artwork. These will be housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris for the time being.
The moment ’s spire fell pic.twitter.com/XUcr6Iob0b
— Patrick Galey (@patrickgaley)French President Emmanuel Macron gave a solemn speech, assuring that the cathedral would be rebuilt and it seems that he is not alone with these efforts. Europe's biggest fashion houses just donated €300 million to rebuild the Notre-Dame.
François-Henri Pinault, who owns Gucci, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent and LVMH’s Bernard Arnault pledged €100 million and €200 million to restore the UNESCO site. After all, as Macron said, "This is the place where we have lived all of our great moments, the epicentre of our lives. It is the cathedral of all the French.”
The medieval Gothic architectural marvel, Notre-Dame, was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. The cathedral is visited by about 30,000 people a day and around 13 million people a year, according to reports.
An estimated $170 million was already being spent on the renovation of the monument at the time of the fire. At least 300 million euros ($339 million) have been pledged so far to help rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral, not including the fashion world's pledge.
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