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A volunteer from the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral in Nantes was detained after a fire swept through the building.
The Rwandan refugee was in charge of locking up the day before the fire destroyed the windows and the large organ inside.
Prosecutors said they wanted to clear up inconsistencies in the man’s schedule.
But it would be “premature and hasty” to think he had a role in the fire.
“We must be careful with the interpretation of this police custody. It is a normal procedure,” said prosecutor Pierres Sennès. The volunteer has not been named.
Sennès said the fire is believed to have been started. Three fires were started at the site and an investigation is now underway.
- In pictures: Fire strikes Nantes’ ‘gothic gem’
Jean-Charles Nowak, an employee of the cathedral, told the French newspaper Le Figaro that the volunteer was “a man of service” who has health problems and “suffered greatly in Rwanda,” a country he left several years ago. The refugee had been discussing extending his visa with local officials, he said.
“I don’t think for a second that he could have set the cathedral on fire. It’s a place he loves,” Nowak said.
About 100 firefighters managed to prevent flames from destroying the main structure of Nantes Cathedral on Saturday. French Prime Minister Jean Castex praised his “professionalism, courage and self-control”.
The fire comes more than a year after a fire nearly destroyed the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.
Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his iconic needle would be rebuilt exactly as it was, ending speculation that it would switch to a more modern style.
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