Yesterday, on the day of my arrival in Paris, I felt drawn to visit Notre Dame de Paris, anxious to assess its current condition. There was a lot of worldwide press on the fire in April 2019, but since that time Notre Dame has disappeared from the headlines, at least in the United States.
My first view of the cathedral was of the towers, which appear to be relatively intact. From that angle, as shown in the second photo, I had no idea of the extent of the damage the fire had caused.
When I crossed to the bank of the Seine River and walked down to the water level, I could clearly see the massive devastation. There is scaffolding supporting part of the structure and tarps covering other areas. This is a familiar angle for me, and I distinctively sense and feel the loss of the roof and the spire that are no longer present.
I am sure that I will photograph Notre Dame multiple times during this stay in Paris, but it seems appropriate to share these photos today, as I compose my first post from this beautiful city.
If you have not seen my photos of Notre Dame de Paris in 2011 that were featured in my last post, Temporary change of venue, check it out and you can do your own comparisons.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Hi Mike – it is heartbreaking to see the massive damage. It looks so bare.
Awesome to see your photos Mike! Was thinking about you earlier today and wondering when the first pics would go up. Thanks and I’m so looking forward to your ongoing posts!
There has been rain off and on since I arrived in Paris, so getting photos has been a challenge, especially since I was feeling jet lagged when I arrived. 🙂
Wounded. Not dead. She shall live again.
Amen. From what I understand, there is a lot of discussion about how she will change. We tend to think of buildings and monuments as eternal, but over the centuries changes were made.
It’s a place I visited many years ago. It’s charming 🙂
So sad! We got to visit Paris in 2014 and I loved seeing Notre Dame.
Enjoy Paris! So much to see there! The Louvre was one of my favorite spots. I loved the courtyard. Just sitting out there in front of the fountain.
Wow, shocking I’m sure to see in person when you were so familiar with it.
It’s sad, but so much remains, it gives hope to the idea that it will be saved for a long future.
Thanks, Dan. I think that as Americans we are used to changes in buildings and even monument–somehow in Europe, it seems like things are eternal, because they have been around for multiple centuries. Yes, Notre Dame will survive and I think multiple big donors have stepped forward with large donations. The challenge going forward is to see what kinds of changes are desirable/necessary for practical as well as historical reasons.