[HLD_Prophecy]

Belated, but I figure this deserves commiserations.

It's no fun to watch.

On the plus side, people are gathering together over the tragedy.

[Grizzly]

On the plus side, people are gathering together over the tragedy.

Although the singing is no doubt beautiful, it should be noted that that wasn't a random collection of spontaneous Parisians, but a small catholic group having gathered specifically to sing.

[HLD_Prophecy]

No worries. You're not the only one who missed the point.

[Grizzly]

The point being...?

[Autohummer]

I got up late today and this was the first thing I saw on the news. I don't live in Paris but I feel the pain. All that history, just gone. Earlier we've had had the Brazil National Museum fire, again, all that irreplaceable stuff, gone. Goes to show that we should do much more to protect and preserve our history. If I were to choose I would have everything digitalised as a very basic backup. If I really wanted to preserve the stuff, I would have it laser-etched on titanium plate or something.

I suppose the only consolation is that 1) most of the important artefacts got moved away due to renovation and 2) due to said renovation blueprints and plans of the burnt spire and roof are probably on hand, making it possible to faithfully rebuild what was destroyed.

Spoiler:

[rant] And would you have it, a friend bought a dreamcast copy of Sakura Taisen 3 today. He never heard of the news, in fact, he typically watches the news only about once a month. Real life writes better sick jokes than any author, I swear. Sicker still are quite a lot of people here continue spending their time chasing celebrities and who's marrying who, when the very memory of our species is being lost. Priorities, guys. Come on. [/rant]

[Grizzly]

Yeah it's important to note that history hasn't really been destroyed here: The cathedral is structurally intact, the destroyed part can be rebuild. The destruction, sad as it is, is also just another chapter in the history of a building that will continue to stand for quite a while yet.

[Autohummer]

Well, that's a more optimistic way to look at it. As long as it is not deliberately destroyed and forgotten, the fire and rebuild would just add to the cathedral's history. I still think we ought to make spares or at least try to copy/backup irreplaceable artefacts, literature and art, though, just in case. Even should they be destroyed, at least the information, ideas and knowledge carried within will carry on.

[Nightmare]

Yeah it's important to note that history hasn't really been destroyed here: The cathedral is structurally intact, the destroyed part can be rebuild. The destruction, sad as it is, is also just another chapter in the history of a building that will continue to stand for quite a while yet.

Reconstructing it might take a decade (or several) though.

[Det. Bullock]

Yeah it's important to note that history hasn't really been destroyed here: The cathedral is structurally intact, the destroyed part can be rebuild. The destruction, sad as it is, is also just another chapter in the history of a building that will continue to stand for quite a while yet.

Reconstructing it might take a decade (or several) though.

It doesn't take that much I think, here in Italy things like this aren't new, there was a large cathedral here in Sicily whose roof fell down entirely and had to be rebuilt from scratch and it took a few years IIRC with works only delayed because well, it's Italy: if bureaucracy doesn't slow things down it would be weird.
Assisi's Cathedral was badly damaged by the earthquake and it didn't take that much to repair it either (though the frescoes that decorated the ceiling were irreparably damaged), and in this case the only truly irreplaceable parts are probably any stained glass windows that got damaged in the fire and most of those seem to have survived (saw some morning-after pictures just now, I think I might have cried a little seeing some stained glass still intact).

Keep in mind that while building these things did indeed take time, a lot of times their building took a lot of time mostly because of petty distputes, financial setbacks or stuff like that. Santa maria del Fiore in Florence was completed only in the 19th century, and you can clearly tell the front (which was the part whose completion had been delayed for centuries) is more neogothic compared to the rest of the church which is in more plain Italian gothic style and blends in only because they used the same materials.

[Nightmare]

Well that's what I heard in the news; could be possible that they just took the German standard (which is.... slow) and applied it upon other countries.

[Novachen]

Well that's what I heard in the news; could be possible that they just took the German standard (which is.... slow) and applied it upon other countries.

Maybe Spain? I mean, they are building 137 years on a Church there already...

I am glad i was able to visit Notre Dam in our Honeymoon visit in Paris (one of four cities we visit during the four weeks). So these pictures are hurting.

[Grizzly]

Maybe Spain? I mean, they are building 137 years on a Church there already...

That's just becuase they're crowdfunding it

[Phantom Hoover]

The Sagrada Familia, as far as I know, is taking a ****ing age in large part because it's all intricate new stonework. The stonework in Notre Dame was apparently mostly undamaged so I suspect the work here will be scrubbing the soot off everything and putting a new (non-stone) roof on.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Yeah it's important to note that history hasn't really been destroyed here: The cathedral is structurally intact, the destroyed part can be rebuild. The destruction, sad as it is, is also just another chapter in the history of a building that will continue to stand for quite a while yet.

It's also important to note that history gets destroyed all the time. Everywhere. Constantly. (don't really want to know how much history China paved over the last 30 years). Though this age may be the first where at least some parts of humanity are interested in preserving their monuments.

[karajorma]

China is a weird example actually. They have a habit of expanding historical temples that are still in active use. Cause in a thousand years who's going to give a damn what was built by an emperor and what was built by a president.

[Nightmare]

China is a weird example actually. They have a habit of expanding historical temples that are still in active use. Cause in a thousand years who's going to give a damn what was built by an emperor and what was built by a president.

Chinese president = Emperor

[Autohummer]

Indeed, China has been an absolute monarchy for 6000+ years now.