Notre Dame Priest Confirms All Precious Artifacts And Artwork Have Been Saved From Fire

The world recently held its breath in horror as Notre-Dame de Paris was engulfed in flames on Monday morning. The fire seemingly destroyed the cathedral in the span of a few minutes. However, there is still some good news despite the seemingly hopeless disaster. One of the priests of Notre Dame has confirmed that all the precious artifacts and artworks were saved from destruction.

Père Frédéric was one of the Notre Dame priests who were in charge of saving the relics from the fire. The priest told French journalist Nicolas Delesalle that they had managed to save “all the works of art.”

“Good news: all the works of art were saved. The treasure of the Cathedral is intact, the Crown of Thorns, the Holy Sacraments.”

Most people believe that the safety of Notre Dame’s collection is nothing short of a miracle. However, it could also be considered a case of an amazing coincidence. Most of the artworks and artifacts have previously been removed from the cathedral prior to renovations.

Some of the priceless artworks that were saved were the statues of the twelve Apostles that surrounded the base of the spire. If these statues hadn’t been evacuated due to renovations, they would have been damaged in the fire.

Notre Dame appears in the 1807 painting depicting Napoleon’s coronation.

The first artifacts that were confirmed to be saved were the Crown of Thorns that is believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ before his crucifixion and the Tunic of St. Louis, the former King of France. These items were stored in the cathedral’s sacristy, which was sealed away from the flames.

Some of the paintings in the cathedral are said to have been damaged by smoke but not by the fire. These artworks are currently being moved to the Louvre for restoration.

The fire destroyed most of Notre-Dame on Monday, April 15. The cathedral’s wood-and-lead spire and the roof collapsed in the flames, causing considerable damage to the interior, upper walls, and windows. It is believed that restoration will cost billions and could last up to 20 years.

Learn more about the story below: