A WAKE UP CALL FROM PARIS. Marcus van der Meulen. First published 30 April 2019 as FRH feature article.
Last year the FRH biennial conference < Religious Heritage : Europe’s Legacy for the Future > started with a concert at Notre Dame de Paris. From all over Europe people gathered to hear sacred music and celebrated religious heritage in this sacred setting. Only months later this very setting was damaged by a fire that was broadcasted across the world. The guided actions of the Parisian firefighters have prevented more damage, defending the towers and preventing the building from heating up. Thanks to their capabilities the structure of Notre Dame is largely intact.
The images of the cathedral of Notre Dame in flames have crossed the world. For many the images of the burning roof recalled fires closer to home. Last year Saint Urbanus’ church in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, a listed monument designed by Gothic Revival architect Cuypers, burned only two years after major restoration works. The exact cause of the fire remains unclear, much of the building was destroyed, but a short circuit is thought most likely. At Saint Martha’s, a gothic church in Nuremberg, Germany, the fire of 2014 was related to ongoing renovation works. A short circuit in the heating system