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Notre Dame’s Eternal Faith in Technological Innovation
April 15, 2019: A fire caused devastating damage to Notre-Dame de Paris. The flames engulfed parts of the church’s history as well as offering a choice for the future: See Notre Dame only as it has been or envision Notre Dame for what it can be based on what it has been before.
Many, I believe, favor the latter.
Jimmy’s Daily Planet covered this tragic fire from a myriad of angles for that entire week in mid-April, which continues today in order to shine a light on a church that still shines its light on so many. In recent days, the doors of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris have been opened for the public to see via exclusive media footage seen below.
Given the sight of the flames doing its worst to Notre Dame, it’s remarkable just how much of the famed cathedral was protected and maintained. It will take a long time to restore Notre Dame back to its former glory. In just three months time, it’s encouraging to see — from the inside — that this iconic gothic Parisian structure will rise again. The doors will reopen to the public and people will return with a renewed faith not only in the church but also in people and organizations who rushed to help in various ways locally and around the world in the fire’s immediate aftermath.
Technological innovation started building Notre Dame’s foundation in 1163 — continuing for the next two hundred years — and it appears as if technological innovations in the 21st century will help rebuild Notre Dame in the coming few years for future generations to pray and/or visit and look around in awe.
P.S. I can’t be the only one who thinks there’s a Dan Brown novel based somewhere within or around this consequential event that was focused on a global religious icon that captured the world’s attention, right?
The Many Forms of Unity for Notre Dame
Pictures say a thousand words. Videos say a hundred thousand words. And a particular video game just might reveal the exact right amount of detail that could render someone speechless.
The fire in Notre Dame Cathedral has brought us together, evidenced by the staggering $1 billion that’s been raised this week for rebuilding the famed Parisian church. The world was watching this past Monday in horror as an inferno engulfed Notre Dame — which was particularly devastating for those witnessing the fire in person — and in addition to saving priceless works of religious art and relics, the architectural struggle begins to restore the church. Surely there are several traditional reference points to assist in this incredible task.
But what about untraditional sources of information? What if there is a high-definition, digital record of Notre Dame’s intricate Gothic architectural beauty that is discoverable by the title ‘Assassin’s Creed Unity’?
Your son or nephew may possess a helpful key to rediscovering Notre Dame’s past for the future.
Who would have thought?
“The free offer for Assassin’s Creed Unity is a way for Ubisoft to share the cathedral in its original form to as many as possible. As a French company, it put a lot of love into its rendition and is donating €500,000 ($564,000, £433,000) to help with the restoration.”
–Ryan Maskell, ‘Ubisoft is giving refunds for poorly timed Assassin’s Creed Unity purchases,’ PCGamesN online
The intersection of popular culture in the form of film, TV and video games with real-world situations/reality is just getting busier by the day. Recall the dedicated interest of Christopher Nolan and Co. to work with famed American theoretical physicist Kip Thorne to visually create a black hole for the 2014 science fiction film ‘Interstellar’ that turned out to be pretty damn close to the first image of a black hole in space. Now a video game could assist in rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral.
While I’m not surprised by this revelation, I am nonetheless at a slight loss for words in happiness that a video game can help restore Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019.
Notre Dame’s Survival Builds by the Day
Notre Dame Update:
Engulfed by a massive fire just days ago, Notre Dame Cathedral’s structural survival for rebuilding efforts appear evident and the survival of its priceless relics are being accounted for with dramatic precision. Thanks to Paris Fire Brigade Chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier, arguably the most sacred relic was saved from the inferno.
Whether in the burst of bravery for Jean-Marc Fournier or just the fortunate, salvageable location for rescue — or a combination of the two — saving the Crown of Thorns prompts an immeasurable sigh of relief and thankfulness in equal measure for millions of people around the world.
For a more in-depth look into the history of the Crown (or Helmet) of Thorns, watch Morgan Freeman speak with a curator of the crown in Notre Dame from earlier this year.
Notre Dame Cathedral will rise again and it will do so with its irreplaceable, spiritually inspiring crown for-the-ages.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 