Photo: Ileana, Christmas 2002
Notre-Dame spire
|
Secular Europeans
today value venerable old churches as cash cows, to the extent that they
provide millions of visitors annually who spend a lot of tourist money to marvel
at and admire their remarkable history, art and architecture, and often climb
(for a fee) to the rooftop for a breathtaking view of the surrounding city.
According to
the CIA World Factbook, the population of France in 2014 was approximately 66.3
million. France is mainly Catholic Christian, with 63-66% Christians, 23-28%
secular people, and 7-9% Muslims. Some areas of Paris like St. Dennis are 40% populated
by African Muslims.
There are pockets
left of the fervent faithful who are still attending church on a regular basis
while the rest may attend Easter services, Christmas, weddings, baptisms, and
burials.
While
strolling in during service, I often noticed with regret the small crowd of
worshippers and their advanced age. The young Europeans seemed to be missing among
the parishioners. They were found outside, enjoying their secular existence
devoid of God.
Following an
alleged accidental fire, the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral’s spire has burned
completely to ashes. The stone base, the altar crucifix, the interior statuary
and artwork, and some of the famous rose stained-glass windows fortunately remained
intact.
President
Macron and the secular French immediately proclaimed that the spire will be rebuilt
better and grander, from modern materials and with a design that would be even
more beautiful - a multi-faith monument that reflects France of today. Who will
get to decide what alterations improve on the original? The atheists and the
non-Christians?
Almost one
billion dollars has been donated so far for the rebuilding project that was
estimated unrealistically by the former banker now President Macron to be five
years. Those of us who appreciate old churches as a place of worship, the soul
of western civilization and of its Christian people, know that beautiful,
masterful, and enduring construction takes a lifetime to achieve. I am not sure
that the master craftsmen and stonemasons of yesteryear still exist today.
Notre Dame
cathedral itself did not collapse because medieval builders knew that rib
vaulting and flying buttresses were the best ways to support the massive
structure to withstand the passage of time. They built for endurance, almost
nine centuries of existence.
John Harwood,
an architectural historian from Toronto, said, “Any rebuilding should be a
reflection not of an old France, or the France that never was – a non-secular,
white European France – but a reflection of the France of today, a France that
is currently in the making.” He sees Notre Dame as a “reflection of the modern zeitgeist;” cathedrals are “political
monuments.”
Rev. Ben
Johnson disagrees vehemently – “Christians built cathedrals as earthly
embassies of the kingdom of Heaven, … created as an expression of faith. Their
beauty and wonder provide a foretaste of the splendor and order of eternity.”
He argues that, if Notre Dame reflected who the French are today, it would be a
parking lot or a concrete government building because atheism “erects no
cathedrals.” What are the European values, one wonders, suicidal tolerance and
failed multiculturalism? https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/notre-dame-may-be-rebuilt-secular-monument
Architecture,
art, sculpture, poetry, and literature were inspired by Christian faith and
created by the West. Notre Dame was and is the symbol of Christian faith and of
our collective western civilization, not just of Catholicism. Rev. Johnson argues
that “The belfries of all Christendom echo its message of hope, redemption, and
peace. Only those ablaze with the fiery flame of divine love can rebuild Notre
Dame, or Europe, from the debris.”
The cathedral
reconstruction should never be about “what modern French people want” even
though it is in the center of Paris. Notre Dame, like all other cathedrals in
Europe, is a monument to Christianity and part of the history of Western
Civilization and must be restored as it was.
This sounds like an analogy to the building of the Iwo Jima memorial. Some people didn't want the statue to look like the men who actually raised the flag there, but wanted the statue to represent a greater diversity. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed back then. I hope that it does again.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, Paul.
DeleteNotre Dame, like all other cathedrals in Europe, is a monument to Christianity and part of the history of Western Civilization and must be restored as it was. Yes, agree, but with current materials to honor Christianity.
ReplyDelete