One of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, the 14th century Notre Dame de Paris is not just a building but a symbol. The history of the cathedral runs parallel to that of the French state. It hosted the coronation of Napoleon I as emperor, was the setting of the funerals of several presidents, and its bells rang to celebrate the liberation of France from the Nazis. This week, the world watched in horror as the cathedral’s iconic spire collapsed, ravaged by flames during a 15-hour blaze that has brought a divided nation together in shock. Attracting more than 12 million visitors per year, the cathedral is the most-visited monument in one of the world’s most-visited cities. It is therefore of little surprise that the fate of the building was in the hearts and on the minds of many as the embers glowed late into Monday night. In the long history of this great building, this week’s fire is only the latest chapter in a story that has seen desecration and, at times, significant destruction. The spire that was lost was itself a relatively recent addition to the structure, built during a major restoration project in the mid-19th century. A spectacular bout of fundraising, which has already seen more than half a billion euros pledged to the cathedral’s reconstruction, highlights the importance of such monuments to not only national heritage but also to humanity’s common artistic and cultural heritage. The precariousness of such buildings and the importance of their good maintenance and upkeep is the key lesson to be learnt. In London, St Paul’s Cathedral stands on the site of London’s own Gothic cathedral, which was destroyed during the Great Fire of 1666. The vulnerability of such large buildings was raised by the Church of England earlier this year in a major review of the governance of its 42 cathedrals. It warned of the “critical state” of historical buildings owing to aging wiring and lighting. This week’s events in Paris have served as a harrowing reminder of the need to protect buildings that are part of the fabric of nations. Eerily, as Notre Dame went up in flames, a fire broke out at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. The flames engulfed the Marwani Prayer Room, also known as Solomon’s Stables. The fire at the mosque received minimal attention from the international media, though it served to highlight the vulnerability of historical buildings to damage. To Muslims, the loss of the mosque’s Dome of the Rock — the first dome to ever be used in Islamic architecture — would be devastating. Such occurrences have focused attention once more on historical buildings at risk of irreparable damage. At the center of this has been the UK Houses of Parliament — one of the world’s most famous buildings — which MPs from a joint committee in 2016 warned could be at risk of a “catastrophic event” unless urgent action was taken. Another Gothic structure whose ample timber and crumbling structure put the entire building at great risk, the loss of the Palace of Westminster would not only be a catastrophe for the UK, but for the entire world. To democracies worldwide, seeing the “Mother of Parliaments” go up in smoke wouMost of the Palace of Westminster was built between 1840 and 1876 after a fire in 1834 destroyed much of the previous building. However, a handful of fires still break out in the old building on a yearly basis. MPs and peers are due to move out in 2025 to allow for a major six-year, £3.5 billion ($4.5 billion) renovation program, but until then the building remains at great risk. It is thought that the fire at Notre Dame was linked to its own extensive renovation, highlighting the need to ensure that such works do not put old buildings at greater risk. The collective response to the blaze at Notre Dame is encouraging at a time when internationalism is struggling to overcome divisive global forces and trends. The fate of a Catholic building has encouragingly mobilized a gargantuan international response, blind of faith but united in the preservation of cultural heritage. This author wrote of the significance of the loss of Mosul’s 12th century mosque in this paper in 2017, with the destruction of its famous leaning Al-Hadba (or hunchback) minaret a great calamity. It is indeed a great shame that some hunchbacks are more important than others when it comes to the international response to cultural destruction.ld be tragic.