Notre Dame looks ghostly inside after the fire. But it's still standing.

Notre Dame after the fire
(Image credit: Philippe Wojazer/AFP/Getty Images)

Fire officials in Paris declared the inferno that gutted Notre Dame cathedral on Monday "completely extinguished" by midmorning Tuesday, and authorities and experts began assessing the extent of the damage and the building's structural integrity. On Monday night, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that France would rebuild Notre Dame, and by Tuesday morning, more than $300 million euros ($340 million) had been pledged toward that effort.

Notre Dame's roof and spire were destroyed in the fire, but the 400 firefighters who extinguished the blaze also saved priceless religious relics and works of art, not to mention the 850-year-old Gothic cathedral's stone walls and two main towers. French Culture Minister Franck Riester said early Tuesday that Notre Dame's storied organ had survived the fire, and at least one of its famous rose windows appeared to be intact.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.