The Crown of Thorns

 

Leave it to president Numb Nuts to add a dumbness to every tragedy to afflict the earth (being one, I guess). Here’s what he tweeted.

So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!

10:39 AM – 15 Apr 2019
Of course, leave it to the fake news outlets to counter with facts. Following the tweet, the Trumpanzanian response to the it — a deluge of haranguing calls to American fire agencies to assist along with unsolicited advice for French firefighters (all of whom are former military by law) — led to this clarification by the International Association of Firefighters:
“Water is heavy,” an IAF spokesman told the 24/7 news outlets. “You can’t dump that much water on a lead roof. It would collapse.”
Thankfully, the French again dismissed the president as a clown with a bullhorn and put the fire out their own way, saving the spire and roof — and keeping alive hope it can be rebuilt. So we’ll similarly leave dumbass out of it for this memorial addition of Factslaps, dedicated to the awesome, hallowed structure that survived two world wars and Nazi occupation:
  • Notre Dame de Paris was built between 1163 and 1345. Its construction was ordered by Maurice de Sully, the Bishop of Paris, in 1160.
  • Notre Dame is located in the heart of Paris, on the Ile de la Cite.
  • Notre Dame was one of the world’s largest religious buildings.
  • Notre Dame was designed in a French Gothic style of architecture.
  • Notre Dame’s twin towers were 226 feet tall and had 387 steps.
  • The largest bell in Notre Dame was located in the South Tower. The bell was 28,000 pounds. It was known as the Emmanuel Bell and was created in 1681. It was rung to mark the hours each day and on special occasions.
  • The magnificent stained glass windows in Notre Dame were original to its construction in the 1200s.
  • Approximately 13 million people visit Notre Dame every year, making it the most popular monument in France. More people visit Notre Dame than the Eiffel Tower. It is free to enter the cathedral.
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame was written by Victor Hugo in an effort to increase the public appreciation for the cathedral.
  • In 1804 Pope Pius VII was invited by Napoleon to come to Notre Dame so that he could be crowned emperor. At the last minute Napoleon put the crown on his own head to crown himself instead.
  • The Crown of Thorns was kept at Notre Dame, along with one of the Holy Nails, and a fragment of the True Cross.
  • There were many small statues on the outside of Notre Dame that were placed there to serve as water spouts and to support columns.
  • The Cornerstone for Notre Dame was laid in 1163, signaling the beginning of construction.
  • In 1182 the choir and Apse were completed.
  • The work to build the western façade began in 1200. The western façade was completed in 1225.
  • In 1250 the western towers and the north rose window were completed.
  • Between 1250 and 1345 the remainder of Notre Dame was completed.
  • A crypt was built in 1965 to house the ruins discovered there during construction. The crypt was called the Archaeological Crypt of the Paris Notre-Dame.
  • Based on a 1905 law, Notre Dame is owned by the French State, but the Catholic Church has right to use it forever.