What is the fate of the treasures of Notre Dame Cathedral?

Sky News Arab - Abu Dhabi
The cathedral of Notre Dame in the center of the French capital, Paris, which was built some 850 years ago, contains many precious treasures of high artistic, religious and cultural value, making them priceless.

French culture minister Franck Riester told reporters on Tuesday that works of art taken from a cathedral Notre Dame during the fire that broke out Monday will be transferred to the Louvre Museum.

"The entire surface collapsed, the wooden frame was destroyed, part of the dome collapsed, and the tower no longer exists," spokesman Gabriel Bloss said.

The minister said earlier that the firefighters, employees of the Ministry of Culture and the city council rushed to the cathedral when the fire broke out to protect important works of art inside.

Wreath of thorns

It is thought that the crown of thorns is the original crown of Jerusalem, where a gift was given to King Louis IX in 1238, who built the Church of Saint in Paris to be placed in the crown, before being converted to the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

On Tuesday, Culture Minister Franck Riester said some artifacts had been saved, including sacred pieces such as the "crown of thorns" of Jesus Christ, which was also confirmed by the deputy mayor of Paris, who expressed his pleasure in rescuing such important pieces of art.

"All the works of art that were in the stores, including the crown of thorns and the cloak of St. Louis, have been salvaged," the spokesman said.

The robe of King Louis IX

Among the pieces that were rescued, according to the French Minister of Culture and the Deputy Mayor of Paris, was the robe of King Louis IX, also known as the "Saint Louis robe," dating back to the 13th century.

The two French officials explained that he was initially transferred to the city council on the transfer later to the nearby Louvre Museum.

The big organ

The deputy mayor of Paris noted that the organ of the Grand Cathedral, which is one of the most famous and largest holdings, remains intact after the devastating fire.

The great organ, which consists of 8000 tubes, dates back to the 1930s and was placed in the cathedral in 1403, and was made by Francois Thierry.

Other treasures

"If the wooden frame is weak and the two rooms are broken, we have really kept our breath from fear," the spokesman said.

In addition, the northern pink window, and the other two western and southern windows, were not damaged despite initial reports that they were melted by the fire, but such reports were subsequently denied.

The western window is smaller than the south and was designed and placed in the cathedral for the first time in 1225, and the southern window is larger and more decorated and manufactured in 1260.

The sixteen copper statues, around the large tower collapsed by the fire, survived the fire because they had been dropped earlier before the fire due to renovations in the cathedral.