A fire swept through the famous Gothic cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the French city of Nantes on Saturday morning and authorities are investigating the incident as a criminal act.
Prosecutor Pierre Sennes told reporters that three fires had started inside the cathedral and that authorities were treating the incident as a case of arson, according to the Irish Times.
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Smoke was coming from the two church towers and the stained glass windows were breaking and coming out of the windows. No injuries were reported.
The fire brigade works to extinguish the fire at the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in Nantes, western France, on Saturday July 18, 2020. (AP Photo / Laetitia Notarianni)
More than 100 firefighters who worked together were able to control the fire, but said the church’s large organ, revered as the “soul of the cathedral” by the faithful, suffered massive damage.
“The damage is concentrated in the large organ that appears to be completely destroyed. The platform it is on is very unstable and is at risk of collapse, “Gen. Laurent Ferlay, fire chief in the Loire Atlantique area, said during a press conference outside the cathedral.
The organ dates from the 17th century. It survived another fire in 1972 that desecrated much of the wooden structure.
The cathedral had been built for five centuries and completed in 1891.
“It is part of our history, part of our heritage,” the mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, told reporters. “We all have these images in mind, this story in our hearts, but at this stage, the situation does not appear to be comparable to that of 1972.”
French Prime Minister Jean Castex was also on the scene and told reporters: “I want to know what happened, even if it is very early.”
French Prime Minister Jean Castex, right, wearing a face mask, meets firefighters after the fire at the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Nantes, western France, on Saturday July 18, 2020 .
(AP)
For others, the fire in the Gothic church was reminiscent of the fateful fire that burned Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris more than a year ago and caused massive structural damage to the building.
“After Notre-Dame, the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral, in the heart of Nantes, is on fire. I support our firefighters who take every risk to save this Gothic gem of the city, “wrote French President Emmanuel Macron in French on Twitter.
The fire smashed the stained glass windows and spewed black smoke between its two towers of the 15th century cathedral, which also suffered a severe fire in 1972.
(AP)
Ferlay tried to calm fears and discourage parallels between the Nantes fire and Notre-Dame, saying: “We are not on a Notre-Dame stage in Paris.” The ceiling has not been touched. “
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
