No, don’t click away, I need this grade.

Notre Dame de Paris is a building that needs little introduction. It is a Gothic cathedral located at the center of Paris (physically and culturally, depending on the time period), that has seen its share of abuse and praise throughout the centuries. It’s original “meaning” or purpose was strictly the same of any other cathedral at the time: it was built as a place of worship, a symbol of the power of the Church and the French monarchy, and a center for education, as education in medieval times was centered around the church, rather than specialized campuses. Since then, it has become a cultural icon in Western Europe, symbolizing to many the virtues of tradition and maintaining a cultural history.

Notre Dame has been in the public eye since its construction, and especially since Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name was released, but more recently, since the fire that burned the majority of the roof, toppled the spire, and poked many a hole into the ceiling, it seems that everyone has an opinion on the building, whether positive or negative, and that everyone has voiced said opinion.

So, why write about it? First of all, because I want to. Second, because I think I have a moderating opinion on the building that’s supported with knowledge of the context of the history of the building and of Gothic architecture in general.

So, a bit of personal context: I visited Notre Dame de Paris as part of a 17 day trip around Western Europe in June 2018. This was my first time visiting any foreign country, and it’s when I was introduced to Gothic architecture. The first Gothic building I visited was Westminster Abbey, but for whatever reason (maybe actually being allowed to take pictures), Notre Dame was the one that stuck with me. It could also be that I got some time to just sit down and take a good look, rather than rushing around trying to see everything. One of my friends wanted to pray, so I went with him to one of the pews and sat down. Cameras weren’t allowed in the pews, and I’m not much of the praying type, so I just took a long look at the vaulted ceiling and the stained glass forming a stone cocoon around us. I knew very little of the history of the building, or of the mechanics of how its support structures work, so all I could recognize at the time was that it was a very pretty building.

Since then, I’ve learned a thing or two about Gothic architecture and about the history of Notre Dame in particular, and, as is usually the case when I’ve researched a topic well-enough, I take the kind of moderate perspective that pisses off both sides of the fence.

Let me be clear: I don’t think Notre Dame de Paris, the building, is more important than any one life, or that it is more important, in any objective way, than any other cultural icon from around the world. Even in French history, I’d point to Saint Denis as an equal to Notre Dame in significance.  I also don’t pretend to believe that the French billionaires that promised to donate millions of Euros to help rebuild the cathedral did so out of the goodness of their hearts, instead of out of trying to boast about their money. However, I also don’t think that the irritation people express towards Notre Dame is justified. I think that the rebuilding of Notre Dame does not in any way take away from whatever cause people want to support. In fact, I’d argue that rebuilding it helps to keep the tourism that drives the Parisian economy coming, and that not rebuilding it would be a greater waste in the long run.

As for the rebuilding, I hope that people don’t forget that the process of rebuilding hasn’t even begun. Notre Dame is still being reinforced, and the melted support structures around the crossing still have to be removed (risking further damage to the building) before architects can even begin to think about rebuilding Notre Dame. However, I do think that Notre Dame will be rebuilt and that once it is, the fire will just be another part of its history, just like the desecration of the building during the French Revolution.