Notre Dame fire: Parisians hold huge vigil at cathedral as monuments around the world light up in solidarity
One World Center, Duomo chapel and Venice theatre among landmarks illuminated with French colours
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Your support makes all the difference.Parisians gathered in front of Notre Dame on Tuesday night, at a vigil where music was played and attendees prayed for the future of the cathedral.
The fire which devastated the cathedral is thought to have been caused by an accident rather than arson, the Paris public prosecutor said.
Investigators are working to establish what led the centuries-old architectural masterpiece to be consumed by flames on Monday evening.
Fifty investigators are working on the probe and will interview workers from five companies, hired to renovate Notre Dame’s roof.
Remy Heitz, the Paris prosecutor, said the inquiry into the Notre Dame fire would be “long and complex”.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, committed to rebuild the church within five years, in a short public address on Tuesday.
He called for unity and said Notre Dame would be restored to be “even more beautiful”.
“We can do it and once again, we will mobilise,” he said.
Wealthy French benefactors have pledged hundreds of millions of euros to rebuild the famous building after its roof and spire were ravaged by the blaze.
On Tuesday night, monuments around the world were lit up in the colours of the French flag, in a show of solidarity with Paris.
One World Trade Centre, the dome of the Chapel of the Holy Shroud inside the Duomo in Turin and the La Fenice theatre in Venice, were among the monuments taking part in the global gesture.
If you would like to see how the Notre Dame fire unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below:
All of the "most precious" treasures in Notre Dame were rescued, says French culture minister Franck Riester.
Some of them will be placed in the Louvre as early as today.
Mr Riester told a press conference:
First of all the treasures, the most precious ones, were saved last night and stored at the Hotel de Ville in Paris, and I'd like to thank the town hall of Paris, and also the teams of ministry of culture, the fire officers and also everyone who really tried to save the crown (of thorns) and various other treasures.
Some of them will also be placed in the Louvre today or tomorrow, as soon as possible. As far as the major paintings, they will in fact only be withdrawn from Notre Dame probably on Friday morning.
They have not been damaged but there could be some damage from the smoke so we are going to take them safely and place them in the Louvre where they will be dehumidified and they will be protected, conserved and then restored.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has tweeted a Bible passage alongside a photo of the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral:
One of the companies which had been working on renovations to Notre Dame's roof said "we want more than anyone for light to be shed on the origin of this drama."
Julien le Bras, chief executive of Le Bras Freres construction company, said the firm had 12 workers involved in the refurbishment but none were on site at the time of the fire.
Le Bras said "all the security measures were respected," and "workers are participating in the investigation with no hesitation."
Various officials have suggested the fire could have been linked to the renovation work.
Dozen of investigators have been speaking to workers as they seek to establish what caused the fire.
The chief architect of Cologne cathedral has predicted it could take decades to repair the damage Notre Dame cathedral.
Peter Fuessenich, who oversees all construction work for the Gothic cathedral in the German city, told broadcaster RTL on Tuesday that "it will certainly take years, perhaps even decades, until the last damage caused by this terrible fire will be completely repaired."
Cologne cathedral was heavily damaged during World War II and work to repair it is still ongoing more than 70 years later.
Fuessenich called the fire in Paris "a tragedy with a European dimension" as many churches and cathedrals across the continent were inspired by buildings in France. He said "when the last stone was set in Notre Dame, the first one was laid here in Cologne, and in this respect it affects us all very much."
The timbered roof of Cologne cathedral's was replaced with an iron frame during the 19th century, meaning a fire there would be less devastating.
British defence secretary Gavin Williamson has responded to MPs' concerns that parliament could suffer a similar fate to Notre Dame.
Politicians including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had urged for the Paris blaze to act as a warning over the crumbling Westminster estate.
Mr Williamson said:
It is important that the investment is made in the parliamentary buildings to ensure such a thing doesn't happen again.
That is why it is the right thing to do to be making the investments that are in order to ensure that such an iconic building such as the Palace of Westminster isn't vulnerable to fire as well.
I think that the House authorities have been very clear in terms of their commitment to making this happen.
I know that you see around parliament today a vast amount of investment that's already been undertaken in order to be able to ensure that the work that needs to be done to Parliament is being done to Parliament.
With what Andrea (Leadsom, Leader of the House) is doing in terms of leading that restoration and renewal, the right attitude and the right approach has been taken by the house authorities.
Footage of a typically Trumpian response to the Notre Dame fire has emerged on social media.
After contemplating the "terrible, terrible" fire in a meandering speech in Minnesota last night, the US president speculated on the cause of the blaze.
"It's a terrible scene," he said. "They think it was caused by - at this moment they don't know - but they think it was caused by renovation. And I hope that's the reason. Renovation, you know, what's that all about? But it's a terrible sight to behold."
Architects who restored Windsor Castle after it was devastated by a fire in 1992 have said Paris "shall see Notre Dame magnificent again".
"The French can be reassured that it can certainly be done," said Francis Maude, an architect at Donald Insall Associates, which is also now working on restoring the Palace of Westminster in London.
As well as Windsor, he cited the reconstruction of Warsaw after World War Two and Dresden's Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) after the reunification of Germany as illustrations of what could be done.
He added his firm "would be more than ready to help" work on Notre Dame if needed.
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Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of Paris fire brigade, has been hailed as a hero entering the burning Notre Dame cathedral to recover the famous Crown of Thorns.
Mr Fournier insisted on being allowed to enter the edifice with fire fighters and played a role in the relic's rescue, according to Philippe Goujon, mayor of Paris's 15th district.
The chaplain's bravery had previously been noted after the November 2016 Bataclan terror attack, when he tended to the injured at the music venue and prayed over the dead.
The director of Unesco has said expert work must be carried out immediately to protect Notre Dame Cathedral's remaining structure.
Audrey Azoulay said it is too early to say whether the treasured rose windows of Notre Dame are unscathed because art experts have not been able to study the site yet.
She said the first 24-48 hours are crucial to protecting the stone and wood structure from water damage and assessing next steps.
She warned parts of the cathedral remain "extremely fragile", notably hundreds of tonnes of scaffolding set up around the cathedral spire that collapsed.
She said Notre Dame has "a particular place in the world's collective imagination".
Notre Dame is part of a Unesco heritage site that includes the surrounding quais and islands, and Unesco has offered its expertise to help rebuild.
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