A few days ago, France was on fire and this fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral added to turmoil in the country. The unfortunate accident at Notre-Dame happened exactly on the day the troubled President, Emmanuel Macron, was supposed to explain how he intended to address the demands of the Yellow Vest movement.

An anguished, restless nation has struggled to cope with a month-long uprising and with a frayed social safety net that spurred the protests. Generations that had come to rely on this social safety net, as a matter of national pride and identity, have been seeing it going up in smoke.

Other tragedies in recent years have shocked the world but this Notre-Dame fire was not like any other catastrophe. It was confirmed that Notre-Dame was minutes away from being totally consumed by fire that miraculously destroyed only its roof and spire. Much of the structure and many artefacts were saved, thanks to firefighters who risked their lives to salvage the magnificent towers that house Notre-Dame’s bells; their collapse could have brought down the entire edifice. Detectives have been looking at what equipment was being used during the restoration process, especially power sources and lighting that may have contributed to starting the fire.

A magnificent cathedral like Notre-Dame can never be built today. Europe’s most visited monument, some parts had been left in a state of disrepair for quite a long time. It was, therefore, high time the restoration process was given the go-ahead.

For a very brief moment, Macron had become a true statesman and a lost nation remembered itself. Associated in French minds with Victor Hugo, the Parisians loved their cathedral, stone-built and carved by disciplined workers who laboured for eternity. The French people took the cathedral for granted. It survived so many episodes throughout history and played so many different roles. 

For centuries, the cathedral enshrined an evolving nation of Frenchness. It could never be damaged. It could never fall.