The recent fire at Notre Dame cathedral has been considered one of the worst tragedies in recent years. The cathedral has come to be a central part of French culture and is an important part of French history. The cathedral was originally completed in 1260 and was subjected to a great deal of change over the years. It was defaced in the 17th century and later restored by the city. It was also the place of Napoleon’s coronation in the 19th century and has served as the home of the mythical creature ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ or ‘Quasimodo’ ever since Victor Hugo penned the story in 1831 and was later reworked into the animated classic we all know and love today.
Earlier this month, a mysterious fire set the cathedral’s main tower ablaze. The world watched in horror as this ancient piece of beautiful architecture slowly came crashing down to the ground. Firefighters raced to save what they could from the blaze, but by the time the fire had settled down, the tower had been completely destroyed. In the days following the blaze, many have wondered whether it was purely an accident or an act of terror. A lot of people are incredibly sad about having lost the monument, but in times like this, it’s not uncommon for us to try and find what good news we can salvage.
On that point, it appears as though a small series of beehives that were situated on the roof of one of the conjoining towers of the cathedral have managed to survive the fire! Nicolas Geant, the resident beekeeper of Notre Dame was elated to see that the 180,000 bees were intact. He noted that had the temperatures risen above 63 degrees Celsius (145.4 degrees Fahrenheit), the wax in the hives would have melted and the bees would have died. Architects and builders are currently trying to rebuild the tower and are working day and night to ensure the restoration process happens as quickly as possible.
