Parisians Sing Hymns as Notre Dame Cathedral Is Engulfed in Flames

Firefighter douse flames billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April
FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty
Victoria Friedman

The faithful of Paris sung hymns as France’s Notre Dame Cathedral was engulfed in flames.

Media outlets have shared footage of crowds gathered in prayer and song, standing in vigil as the roof and spire collapsed amidst flames of Our Lady of Paris, while fire began to overtake the rest of the famous Gothic twelfth-century cathedral.

A member of staff from Radio Notre Dame, the Catholic radio station of the Ile de France, recorded footage of a Parisian couple singing the “I Salute You, Mary,” with other passers-by near the Pont Saint-Michel joining in.

The small group was joined by around 100 others.

And as the night progressed, the crowd grew.

One witness told CBS news, “I think what’s so emotional right now is I can hear people in the streets singing. They’re singing and praying and watching this billowing fire continue to persist.”

The fire has since spread to the building’s iconic bell towers, with the Paris fire brigade having reportedly said they may not be able to save the cathedral at all.

Christian communities from as far afield as Egypt, Iraq, and Libya, with the Iraqi chapter of Eastern Christians tweeting, “Destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it in three days.”

A Paris resident, Vladimir, 54, told Le Parisien earlier in the evening, “It’s a disaster but we will fix it… We do not have a choice. We are in Easter week. At the end, there will be a resurrection.”

You can read Breitbart London’s coverage in full of the tragic fire here.

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