"I am convinced that it was Mary who protected Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris"

Three years to the day after the fire that partially destroyed the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris on April 15, 2019, Rev. Patrick Chauvet, rector of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, talked about where the rebuilding process stood and the upcoming timeline:

"In the course of 2023, Parisians will see the spire gradually rise on the cathedral. As you know, it will be rebuilt identically, exactly the same size, and in the same materials. Now that the excavations are done, the entire site must be filled in, so that we can install the last scaffolding and access the hole [left by the collapse of the nave]. Then the rebuilding of the vault can begin. This represents between 300 and 500 tons of scaffolding. We will then continue to clean the cathedral, where the damage was actually not too extensive since the fire did not enter the cathedral. After this disaster, we have to look at the positive side: we have an opportunity to clean up the cathedral as we have never done it before.

I am convinced that it was Mary who protected the cathedral. I often say that it was saved thanks to the firemen, thanks also to the Companions who, from the day after the fire, were already at work at 5:00 am trying to stabilize the building, but especially thanks to the Virgin Mary. Her statue should have been smashed, because the great vault fell on her. But the stones fell at her feet. For me, this was a sign. It was she who wanted to stay until the end. She did not abandon ship!"

Excerpt from an interview of Cnews TV channel with Rev. Patrick Chauvet, Rector of Notre-Dame Cathedral