A fire broke out in the interior portion of the Nantes Cathedral, where 100 firefighters where deployed to control the blaze. The cathedral's large pipe organ was "completely destroyed."
Image: Reuters/S. Mahe
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Nantes Cathedral blaze
10:14
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Firefighters have brought under control a blaze that began inside the Nantes Cathedral on Saturday morning, officials said.
The Cathedral of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul in Nantes is a gothic-style structure that dates back to the 15th century.
Some 100 firefighters were deployed to put out the fire, whose flames could be seen through the church's front windows as smoke poured out of them. No one was injured.
Curious residents and tourists crowded around the structure as emergency workers cordoned off much of the city's historical center on the Loire River.
Authorities said the blaze was limited to the church pipe organ. Local fire department chief Laurent Ferlay said the organ was "completely destroyed" and that the platform on which it sits was found on the verge of collapse.
Arson suspected
French prosecutors said arson was suspected, noting the blaze had erupted in "three separate places."
"An arson investigation has been opened, there are no conclusions to be drawn now because we have a lot of investigations to make which could introduce new elements," Nantes prosecutor Pierre Sennes told AFP.
According to the Nantes diocese, the cathedral had already survived a major fire in 1972 that destroyed its roof. The church was reopened in 1985 after extensive restoration.
Saturday's blaze comes a little more than a year after a large fire at the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in the capital, Paris, destroyed the roof of the 12th-century Gothic structure, including its 93-meter-high (305-feet-high) spire.
Notre Dame Cathedral: History of the Paris landmark
It was one of the most popular tourist attractions of Paris, until the famous cathedral was ravaged by fire in 2019. Notre Dame was conceived to become the French capital's landmark.
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A highlight of French Gothic architecture
Construction of the cathedral began in 1163 under Parisian bishop Maurice de Sully. Notre Dame's location in the center of Paris was selected because it was the site of a former Roman temple. The new church's construction stretched over two centuries and it was looted several times. The choir was the first section of the cathedral to be built and an inaugural service was held there in 1220.
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A top location for the new cathedral
A new road axis was built specifically for the construction of the cathedral. Bishop Maurice de Sully wanted to create an impressive landmark with the limestone building at the tip of the Seine island. The 69-meter-high (226-foot-high) twin towers were made of expensive materials to give a noble impression. Donations were collected from Parisians for the project.
Image: picture-alliance/S. Gabriel
A view over Paris
After the choir, the nave was erected during the following construction phase. Its roof was destroyed by the 2019 fire. The two flat towers are impressive. Although the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is the most visited building in the French capital, the state has been criticized for not paying enough for maintenance. The building's structure is crumbling in many places.
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The ravages of time
Repair work in the roof apparently caused the fire. Following the 850th anniversary of Notre Dame in 2013, a new renovation program of €100 million ($111 million) was undertaken by the French state, as the supporting arches had been damaged by weather and air pollution. The Gothic arches support the main vault from the outside.
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Victor Hugo made it famous
The cathedral is 128 meters long and 33 meters high. The French writer Victor Hugo placed the church at the center of his classic novel from 1831, "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame." Hugo wrote the love story between the cathedral's bell ringer, a deformed hunchback called Quasimodo, and the gypsy Esmeralda to criticize the neglected state of the Gothic church.
Image: Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images
New bells
For the cathedral's 850th anniversary in 2013, the bells that Quasimodo rang in the novel were removed from the towers and nine new bells were cast in a foundry. For their inauguration, even more people than usual assembled in front of Notre Dame.
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Renovations 100 years ago
Architect Violett-le-Duc restored the Notre Dame Cathedral in the 19th century. He added the so-called Chimera gallery, which is the name of the series of statues of mythical creatures combining parts of different animals standing on the corner of the balustrade. Another highlight of the restorations were the cathedral's famous rose windows.
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Magnificent windows
With their deep blue and dark red dominant hues, the color effect of the rose windows were best observed from the inside. In true Gothic style, everything in the building strives upwards. Later additions to the church during the Renaissance and Baroque eras are a reflection of those times, but the cathedral's predominant style remains Gothic.
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Extensive damage
Major renovation work was underway when a devastating fire broke out in the attic of the cathedral on April 15, 2019. The roof and the tower in the middle of the nave collapsed. While the fire was still raging in the historic walls, French President Emmanuel Macron promised, "We will rebuild Notre-Dame," hoping that the cathedral will be restored by 2024.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. van der Hasselt
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Although the Nantes cathedral fire was not as devastating as that of Notre Dame, the French government is taking it seriously.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin are said to travel to Nantes Saturday afternoon to meet with local authorities on the scene.
