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#15th-Century cathedral in France ravaged by fire, officials suspect arson

“#15th-Century cathedral in France ravaged by fire, officials suspect arson”

July 18, 2020 | 11:18am

Fire fighters work to extinguish the blaze at the Gothic St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, in Nantes, France today.

The cathedral’s destroyed stained glass windows.

Officials working to extinguish the fire.

Nantes Mayor Johanna Rolland (center) speak to reporters at the scene of the blaze.

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Fire broke out in a 15th-Century cathedral in western France early Saturday, shattering stained glass windows and destroying the grand organ.

The blaze at St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral in Nantes, about 200 miles from Paris, took more than 100 firefighters several hours to bring under control, Reuters reported. Authorities suspect arson.

St. Peter and St. Paul was completed in 1891, built over five centuries, the Associated Press reported.

The cathedral had been damaged in World War II by Allied bombings. A fire in 1972 ravaged the roof, which was eventually replaced with concrete.

The organ, called the “soul of the cathedral” by parishioners, survived the first fire.

Saturday’s blaze comes a little more than a year after the massive fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, but local fire chief Laurent Ferlay downplayed any comparison.

“We are not in a Notre-Dame de Paris scenario,” Ferlay said. “The roof has not been touched.”