Bengal clergy shocked as fire ravages historic Notre Dame

Father CM Paul, 66, vice-principal of Salesian College, Sonada, Darjeeling, and Father Dominic Gomes, 59, vicar general of Calcutta Archdiocese, were both having breakfast on Tuesday morning when they chanced upon the devastating news of ‘history in flames’. Even though the main structure of Notre Dame

cathedral

in Paris could be saved after hours of fire-fighting, the iconic spire at the top collapsed as

fire

engulfed the cathedral on Monday. Miles away from each other — Paul in Darjeeling and Gomes in Calcutta — they were united in grief. “I had spent many glorious days of my youth there. I can’t believe that the spire is no more,” Fr Paul lamented. Fr Gomes described the incident as “A loss
of world heritage that can never be replaced”.

CM Paul

A part of world tour
In 1987, Fr Paul went to New York to study journalism. During his summer holiday, he toured Western Europe. Eastern Europe was under communist regime and he was advised to avoid those countries. “In France, I was determined to visit the three famous tourist destinations — Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame cathedral. I visited each of these and more. It was an amazing feeling,” he added. Fr Gomes, on the other hand, spent four years (1992-1996) in Rome to study scripture. During that time, he had visited Notre Dame on a number of occasions. “Every year, we had three months of holiday and I used to spend that time travelling and doing church works. Notre Dame was the centre of my work,” he remembered.

Dominic Gomes

Architectural marvel
Even though Fr Paul doesn’t remember the exact date of his visit to the cathedral, he can reminisce the feeling. It was a sunny morning and the first thing he noticed was the beautiful god rays that fell on the church’s floor through the colourful stained glass windows of the eastern side structure. “I was interested in old architecture and I knew the importance of the place. It is one of the rare examples of French-Gothic architecture. I was blown away by its beauty. Besides, the church ceiling was almost 100-metres high and the natural sunlight created a magical ambience,” he added. Fr Gomes, on his part, recalled, “I could only utter ‘wow’ the first time I entered the cathedral. The ambience was so different; it was the serenity of the place that overwhelmed my senses.” He added that only a few churches that he visited the world over could evoke such a feeling in him. Besides, he was particularly amazed by the sophisticated artworks and wooden arches in the cathedral.

It’s a loss for the world
They were both at a loss of words when they learnt about the fire. “It was raining since morning in Darjeeling and this news made my day even gloomier. I had such a connection with that church that cannot be expressed in words. All I can say is that it’s a very unfortunate and sad incident,” said Fr Paul. Fr Gomes agreed and said, “This loss can be compared with the loss of any national heritage and I don’t think, we will ever get it back.” Among the most prized relics at Notre Dame is a relic of the crown of thorns believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ during the crucifixion.


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