For the French, the 850-year-old Gothic cathedral has been both a source of inspiration and a symbol of the nation’s glorious past.

For the French, the 850-year-old Gothic cathedral has been both a source of inspiration and a symbol of the nation’s glorious past.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241205163123/https://theconversation.com/notre-dame-reopens-in-paris-5-years-after-fire-its-reconstruction-preserves-the-past-and-illuminates-frances-modern-ambitions-229240

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fnotre-dame-reopens-in-paris-5-years-after-fire-its-reconstruction-preserves-the-past-and-illuminates-frances-modern-ambitions-229240

  • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org
    24·
    13 days ago

    You know what? It’s great that Notre Dame got the treatment it deserves as a cultural icon.

    But here’s what I see: that’s one billion euros that meticulously, almost obsessively, restored a religious building, that could have housed and fed a lot of homeless people for a lot of time. Priorities I guess…

    • ryathal
      4·
      13 days ago

      It’s one billion euros to restore a tourist attraction worth several times that amount.

      • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org
        1·
        12 days ago

        I know it’s deconsecrated, and it boosts the tourist economy, therefore the billion dollar restoration is in fact a sound financial investment. And that money paid for good craftspeople to do their craft and maintain traditional work methods and I’m all for that.

        I know…

        But it still find it shocking on the face of it.