Thousands of Parisians poured into the streets to watch as the fire spread, overwhelmed by the catastrophic damage to a global heritage site.
This file photo taken on 27 March shows a scaffold during the restoration of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris., the medieval cathedral made famous by Victor Hugo, its two massive towers flanked with gargoyles instantly recognisable even by people who have never visited the city.
"It's our history, our literature, our imagination, the place where we experienced all our greatest moments," an emotional French President Emmanuel Macron said after a visit to the scene, vowing:"We will rebuild Notre Dame together." For French Catholics it has particular resonance, as the resting place of the crown of thorns believed to have been placed on Jesus' head before his crucifixion.In 1831, Hugo brought the cathedral alive with"Notre Dame de Paris", giving it a personality on par with the novel's heroes, the hunchback Quasimodo and the gypsy beauty Esmeralda.
The spire had disappeared from most people's memories when it emerged once again from Notre Dame's roof in 1860. The film saw Anthony Quinn bring to life a Quasimodo fascinated by the ravishing Esmeralda played by Italian bombshell Gina Lollobrigida.
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