Philippe Villeneuve

The altar was crushed.

But the large golden cross was in the background.

The statue of Virgin of the Pillar, Notre Dame de Paris, seemed untouched.

Through a hole in the vault, molten lead had flowed into the end of the crest of the Pieta.

That evening, I found the rooster that had crashed on the section of the roof.

It escaped destruction.

It had miraculously come off its axis when the spire collapsed.

At that moment, I felt a determination that removed all doubt.

It gave me a power and strength I didn't know I had.

I always loved Notre Dame.

I visited for the first time at age seven.

I loved the symphony of stone and the harmony of light.

For me, architecture and music became one that day.

When I was 16, I saw an exhibition of the architect Viollet-le-Duc.

From that day, I wanted to become chief architect of Historical Monuments Society.

And why not?

One day, become the architect of Notre-Dame.

The dream came true in 2013, but six years later, in 2019, it became a nightmare.

On that evening, on April 5,

I made up my mind to fight for Notre-Dame.