Uit The Economist van deze week:
THE CATHEDRAL of Notre Dame in Paris, and the vast outpouring of sorrow over its semi-destruction by fire on April 15th, epitomises the power of great houses of prayer to touch and inspire people. More palpably than any other kind of monument, they connect visitors with another world: one in which the finest composers, singers, sculptors, glass-makers, embroiderers and craft-workers of a given era joyfully mixed their energies in a vast, disinterested enterprise.
To some degree, that enterprise continues as long as the building stands. That alone makes great historic churches a source of fascination, even for those with little interest in Christian worship. People want them to be there, even if they don’t wish to share the cost or join the prayers.
Why has the fire at Notre Dame stirred such emotion in France? In a city of broad vistas and stolen glimpses, it serves as a fixed point for Parisians; a stable presence that emerges reliably into view, like a much-loved aunt, from bridges across the river Seine. Visited by 13m tourists a year, the cathedral has been the backdrop to countless expressions of awe and romance, as well as been-there selfies. Locals may be riled by the narcissistic crowds, but are proud of what draws them. The 850-year-old cathedral is a national landmark that offers something particular: a form of timelessness, drama and spirituality, to set against the modernity and engineering prowess of the Eiffel Tower.
