The Iconic Notre Dame engulfed in flames: A brief History

On Monday night, the world and travel enthusiasts were left shocked after the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France went down in flames.

Notre Dame is one of the most iconic and among the most famous landmarks in Paris, France. The Cathedral often attracts more than 13 million visitors per year.

The name of the Cathedral means “Our Lady” and is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris and has been in existence for centuries.

Several world leaders messages to the French government assuring them of their support during this time where “history seems to have been wiped out.”

The History of Notre Dame

The Cathedral was constructed on a small island called Île de la Cité in the middle of the Seine. The construction was completed in the year 1345 after it started in the year 1163. The construction took 182 years.

The tower has a height of 69 meters and has a 13-tonne bell named Emmanuel. The cathedral was damaged and neglected in the 1790s during the French Revolution but was later renovated.

Henry VI of England was made King of France inside Notre Dame Cathedral in 1431. Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned emperor inside the Cathedral in 1804.

In the year 1909, Joan Arc was beatified inside the Cathedral by Pope Pius X. Joan had helped France battle the English and was burned at the stake centuries earlier.

The same Monday evening, a fire broke out in al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam, on Monday.

The fire, according to authorities, didn’t cause significant damage, but it did endanger a part of the worship site that’s over 2,000 years old.

“The fire broke out in the guard room outside the al-Marwani Prayer Room Monday evening, according to a statement by the mosque’s Islamic Waqf (Endowments) Department. According to The New Arab, a guard reported a short gap in guard rotations between 7:15 and 7:30 p.m. local time,” said the authorities.

The Jerusalem mosque built where a pivotal event in the prophet Muhammad’s life is believed to have occurred, also caught fire, damaging a part of the structure dating to Judean King Herod the Great’s reign.