While undergoing renovation and restoration, Notre-Dame de Paris (meaning "Our Lady of Paris") cathedral caught fire and sustained significant damage.
Damages included the collapse of the entire roof and the main spire.
The cathedral is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.
Its construction was begun in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely completed by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the ensuing centuries.
The cathedral was the site of the Coronation of “Napoleon the Great” as Emperor of France.
Victor Hugo’s famous novel ‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’ was written to spread awareness about conserving the cathedral’s unique architecture in 1831.