Powerful photos of Notre Dame from before, during, and after the fire

Here, we take a look at some of the powerful photos surrounding Notre Dame from yesterday.

Just an hour before the fire, this photo was taken of a father swining around his daughter in a touching photo. The photographer of this photo Brooke Windsor had captured a lovely moment between the two, and considered going up to the pair and sending them the photos.

After the fire, the photographer took to Twitter to locate the father.

Photos captured from across Paris tell an incredible, tragic story.

The gravity of the situation truly did not set in until hours after, as the world watched and wondered what would happen to the famous cathedral.

The iconic spire was sadly not spared from the fire’s destruction, as the heartbreaking moment when it fell was captured from many angles.

What will surely be remembered as an iconic moment, firefighters entered the cathedral to the sight of the cross, still standing proudly.

Fortunately, there were no deaths from the fire, though one firefighter was the victim of serious burns.

As France and the world mourns, we will now have to stand back and watch to see what happens.

It was a loss for not just the Christian world, but a loss for the world, period. For Catholics out there that felt pain watching a historic church burn, I try to remind you: In the Bible the word “church” is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia.

Ekklesia means “a calling out.” The Bible never refers to a building or meeting place, but always to people, the ones “called out” of the world’s society by God calling them into His service. The Church of the Bible is not a building, no matter how immaculate. A church is wherever people worship, and a community bonded in faith will survive through any tragedy.

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