What Have We Learnt from Notre Dame Cathedral’s Fire?
Last Monday on the 15th of April, a fire has burned down the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame is more than just a significant landmark for Paris, but it is a place where an important collection of artworks and Christian relics are located.
According to Franck Riester, the French Minister of Culture, most of the works of art and artifacts were saved from the Notre Dame fire, which includes the Holy Crown of Thorns, believed to have been worn by Jesus, and the tunic of St. Louis, believed to have belonged to the 13th century king of France, Louis IX. The epic bell towers also survived the fire.
However, the biggest grief has to be the loss of the Cathedral’s iconic spire and the destruction of its roof.
French president Emmanuel Macron confirmed to rebuild the cathedral with the donations from various countries around the world, which exceeded total of €600 million. Among which, over €100 million comes from the auction house run by Christie’s Owner, François-Henri Pinault.
How IT Saves Heritage
An action-adventure video game released in 2014 named Assassin’s Creed Unity, has had its background set in Paris during the French Revolution. Assassin’s Creed team has spent two years to record accurate details of Notre Dame in their attempt to create an exact portrayal of the Cathedral.
Well-known for its amazing re-creations of historic sites, Assassin’s Creed team has the detailed measurements and material references that are reliable source for rebuilding of the Cathedral.
How IT Might Save Art
Along with the development of the technology, art institutions have started to build their online archives for the sake of heritage conservation. The Notre Dame fire is not the first incident which has taught us this lesson. Remember the massive fire which has taken Brazil National Museum half a year ago? Other than the restoration which would take years to finish, people immediately initiated an online campaign to rebuild the museum’s art archive. Although an online image could hardly replace the real relics, we have to admit the importance of the technology as an unlimited source to preserve our art and history.
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