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:
European Council president Donald Tusk said the message of encouragement to France after the Notre Dame Cathedral fire should be that "it's not the end of the world" and that the damage will be repaired.
Mr Tusk told Polish reporters in Strasbourg after a European Parliament debate on Brexit it was the duty of all Europeans and all Poles to give France courage after this "dramatic" event.
Recalling his native Poland's efforts to rebuild its cities, many reduced to rubble, after the Second World War, Mr Tusk said his compatriots "have the right and the duty to say - 'You will manage, this is not the end of the world'".
Denis Jachiet, deputy bishop of the cathedral, said there would be no Easter celebrations in Notre Dame this year.
He said: "It's impossible to enter into the cathedral so these religious celebrations will take place in other churches.
"For the religious I think there is really an invitation to prayer and the internalisation of this situation."
He continued:
The fire department told us that they at first tried to confine this blaze, it was impossible to put it out - no human could have done that.
But it was certainly possible to contain it. They battled to contain it to preventing from spreading from the interior of the spire.
They succeeded in saving the tower and therefore saved the facade.
The bishop said the emergency services had worked through the night to remove works of art and take them to safe keeping.
I feel the greatest sadness for this disaster.
In around one hour it destroyed something that had spanned almost nine centuries.
French firefighters have sent a drone over Notre Dame to survey the damage caused by the blaze.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, has said the company will donate to help restore Notre Dame.
French interior minister Christophe Castaner has arrived at Notre Dame to see the damage caused by the fire and speak to firefighters who worked to extinguish the blaze.
The French Bishops' Conference says that the bells of all cathedrals across the country will ring on Wednesday at 6.50pm, the time when the fire started on Monday.
On Tuesday the Bishops' Conference said in a statement that this will show the solidarity of all dioceses toward Paris and said the fire at Notre Dame "is a shock that affects far beyond just the Catholics of our country."
France has 103 Catholic cathedrals.
Emmanuel Macron to hold a full day of cabinet meetings fully dedicated to the aftermath of the fire tomorrow.
The French president's office said a morning session would be followed by another in the afternoon focusing on the national fund-raising campaign and reconstruction work.
Mr Macron is to speak by phone with Pope Francis later today.
He has postponed a speech and a news conference aimed at responding to the yellow vest crisis for an indefinite period, to respect "a moment of great national emotion."
Mr Macron was initially planning to announce measures this week addressing the concerns of anti-government protesters.
French energy company Total has pledged €100m (£87m) towards Notre Dame repairs, bringing the total amount of funding offered by businesses and tycoons to more than €600m (£519m).
The oil and gas giant said it would donate "to help the construction of this architectural jewel".
L’Oreal, the French cosmetics firm, has pledged to give the same amount to rebuild "a symbol of French heritage and of our common history.”
Rival billionaire fashion tycoons Francois-Henri Pinault and Bernard Arnault, earlier pledged €100m and €200m (£174m) respectively.
Bells at churches and cathedrals across England are to be rung in solidarity with France, Downing Street has announced.
The bells at Westminster Abbey will toll at 5.43pm this evening to mark the moment the fire began.
Other churches and cathedrals across the country will follow suit on Thursday.
Theresa May said the gesture would "underline our solidarity with France and her people".
Experts from Historic England are also coordinating with colleagues across the UK heritage sector to make an offer of support to their French counterparts once the damage has been assessed.
The prime minister said: "Notre Dame is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world – a symbol of France and the French people, and cherished across the globe. The images of destruction we saw last night were truly heart-rending.
“President Macron has pledged to rebuild the cathedral and I have conveyed to him that the UK will support this endeavour however we can.
“When it comes to the task of rebuilding, French craftsmen and women are among the finest in the world. As they prepare to embark on this daunting task, we stand ready to offer any UK experience and expertise that could be helpful in the work that lies ahead to restore this magnificent cathedral.”
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