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As it happenedended

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

Notre Dame fire: What we know so far

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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.

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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:

Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has inspired a movement of children against global warming, urged leaders on Tuesday to act to save the planet in the same way they are pledging to rebuild Notre-Dame after a fire gutted the cathedral.

"Yesterday, the whole world witnessed with sadness and despair the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, but Notre-Dame will be rebuilt," she said in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"I hope it has strong foundations and I hope we have strong foundations, but I'm not so sure."

Samuel Osborne16 April 2019 18:18

Greece's culture ministry has said it is willing to provide academic experts and skilled technicians from its own restoration projects if help is needed at Notre Dame.

The ministry has extensive experience with major conservation and restoration works on Greece's ancient and medieval monuments.

These include a decades-long programme on the Acropolis of Athens, whose 2,500-year-old marble temples and other monumental buildings were badly damaged over the centuries by fire, explosions and warfare.

A ministry statement expressed deep sorrow for the Notre Dame blaze.

Samuel Osborne16 April 2019 18:30

Auction site eBay has removed a listing which offered "a section of timber" from the remains of Notre Dame Cathedral purportedly recovered after the fire.

The site has also taken down adverts for T-shirts with the slogan "Je Suis Notre Dame" under a policy against items which "profit from human tragedy or suffering".

An advert offering "embers from the Notre Dame fire" was posted to the auction site on Tuesday following the blaze less than 24 hours earlier.

The company later removed the advert, which included a generic photograph of a burning log.

Samuel Osborne16 April 2019 18:43

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier is urging his countrymen and others in Europe to contribute to the rebuilding of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Mr Steinmeier said the footage of the landmark Paris building burning would "probably leave no one in Europe untouched".

He called for "the citizens of this country and the whole of Europe to support the reconstruction of Notre Dame".

Mr Steinmeier added that the cathedral "is not only a great building, it is a great European landmark, a landmark of European culture and an important document of European history".

Samuel Osborne16 April 2019 18:46

Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic has offered sympathy and help to rebuild the Notre Dame cathedral after the devastating fire, but tabloids under his control called the disaster "God's punishment". 

Many in Serbia are angry at France for reportedly displaying a flag of Kosovo outside Notre Dame for First World War centennial commemorations last year, and for taking part in the 1999 Nato bombing of Serbia. 

Headlines late on Monday on the websites of pro-government tabloids Alo and Informer said "God's Punishment has caught up with them." The articles were later removed after triggering outrage on social media. 

Samuel Osborne16 April 2019 18:56

Emmanuel Macron has addressed France in a live televised address.

"The fire in Notre Dame reminds us that out history never stops and we will always have trials to overcome," he said.

"What we think is..indestructible...can in fact be destroyed."

"It is for this reason that this evening I wanted to address you directly.

"What I want to say this evening is that we are [a] people of builders.

We will rebuild the cathedral of Notre Dame and make it even better than before. We can do this. We will mobilise around it.

"I believe, very profoundly, that we must change this catastrophe into unity," the French leader added.

"It is up to us to find again the leitmotif of our history.

Men and women of France and all of you, foreigners who love France and Paris, I want to say to you that I share your pain but I also share hope."

Zamira Rahim16 April 2019 19:07

Mr Macron also praised the emergency services who came together to save the main structure of Notre Dame.

Zamira Rahim16 April 2019 19:08

The French president has said that he would like to see Notre Dame renovated within five years.

The Gothic cathedral's roof was mostly destroyed in the blaze and its spire fell in flames.

Zamira Rahim16 April 2019 19:10

Several of the most sacred relics and artworks housed in Notre Dame have been saved.

The Crown of Thorns and a tunic worn by Louis IX were among the works salvaged by a human chain of people on Monday evening.

Zamira Rahim16 April 2019 19:20

The president of the University of Notre Dame in the US has said the institution will donate $100,000 towards the cathedral's renovation.

John Jenkins announced the donation on Tuesday.

He also said the bells of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the university's Indiana campus would ring 50 times on Tuesday evening to mark the start of the cathedral's rebuilding.

Mr Jenkins said the church's "exquisite Gothic architecture has for centuries raised hearts and minds to God.

"We join in prayer with the faithful of the cathedral and all of France as they begin the work of rebuilding."

Zamira Rahim16 April 2019 19:30

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