Philippe Villeneuve
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Come with me.
Back in time.
Today is April 15, 2019.
That was six years ago.
We are a few days before Easter.
On a late spring afternoon, we are in Paris, on the Ile de la Cité.
Notre-Dame Cathedral has been there for over eight centuries.
The day is winding down, and people are heading home from work.
Nobody notices the smoke arising from the spire of the cathedral.
The time is around 6 and 13 p.m.
Now the smoke has become more noticeable, and people look up in disbelief.
They watch the flames burning through the melting lead roof,
Night is falling, and the flames illuminate the cathedral.
Now the huge plume of smoke fills the streets.
There is an acrid smell in the air.
Some people start praying, others start chanting.
Firefighters are now fighting a relentless battle.
And then, the spire collapses into an inferno.
with a terrible crash.
President Macron rushed on the seat.