The flames have gone out at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, but the damage has been done. It took just one night to destroy the 850-year-old cathedral's roof and iconic spire, as well as some priceless works of art.
Is the damaged medieval building beyond repair?
Some say there is still hope thanks to digital scans of the cathedral. However, some of the irreplaceable artwork in Notre Dame may now be gone, reports Perspecs.
According to ZDNet, digital scans offer hope for restoration in wake of the Notre Dame fire.
Due to the efforts of the recently-deceased Professor Andrew Tallon, the cathedral has been laser scanned - giving it "rich raw data that could potentially help in reconstruction efforts". The massive digital files captured the cathedral down to its precise measurements.
Stephen Murray, professor of art history at Columbia University, and a pioneer of digital preservation, told ZDNet: "Can it help us rebuild? Yes, it can. I think it's terribly important."
Professor Lindsay Cook, who was a colleague of Tallon's, explained that the images generated from the laser scanning is "almost uncanny, they're sort of other-worldly".
Laser scanning is a powerful tool that can sweep an entire building, and create billions of dots of light across the structure. These dots create a three-dimensional image. It collects a sheer amount of data and gives access to the upper reaches of a building.
ZDNet adds: "Laser-scanning could be especially useful for replicating landmarks that are off-limits to visitors."
Cook said that the authorities can use Tallon's data in Notre Dame's restoration. She said: "Of course, it'd be available to them if they decide that's necessary. It's really wonderful the material exists so there's at least a backup of all of this data."
Whether they manage to reconstruct the building or not, USA Today say that all the irreplaceable artwork in the cathedral may have been consumed by the flames.
They explain: "It's not just the external stone structure of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris that is irreplaceable, it's also everything inside it, from scores of religious sculptures to ancient stained-glass rose windows, to the chandeliers and organs and church bells, to the church vestments and the holy relics."
USA Today spoke to Sheila Bonde, a professor of the history of art and architecture at Brown University, who said the "great tragedy" is the structure itself and its fittings.
She said: "Many people don’t know that the roofs are timber, largely replaced in the 19th century, and they have been totally consumed."
Bonde also discussed the famous stained-glass windows that bring light and colour into the cathedral: "Some of (Notre Dame's) stained-glass windows are original, they're medieval [built between about 1160 and about 1260].
"The massive rose windows are susceptible to heat because they are glass and they are held together by lead, which melts."
Laurent Ferri, curator of the pre-1800 Collections in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections at Cornell University, said the spire that collapsed in flames contained relics of Saint Denis and Saint Genevieve, the patron saints of Paris.
He explained: "They were placed at the summit of the church in 1935 by the archbishop of Paris, to protect the building. If so, they are now likely reduced to ashes.
"It is a great loss for Catholics and for art lovers worldwide, but the cathedral had a particular meaning for the French, as a lieu de memoire, meaning a symbolic element in the memorial heritage of my old country."
The Notre Dame fire began at around 6.30pm on Monday night, and it quickly spread to the roof of the cathedral. The roof was almost entirely destroyed, and just before 8pm, the flames engulfed its famed spire before finally toppling.
Around 400 firefighters were deployed to tackle the flames, and they managed to save the main structure, as well as the two bell towers. One firefighter was seriously hurt when tackling the blaze.
By early Tuesday morning, it was under control - and the fire was finally extinguished nine hours after it had started.
The cause of the fire is not yet clear, but the Paris prosecutor's office said it had opened an inquiry into "accidental destruction by fire".
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The Notre Dame Cathedral, which began construction in 1163 and was completed in 1345, was undergoing renovation work. Parts of the Gothic cathedral were starting to crumble, because of pollution eating the stone.
Historic statues from the spire, representing the 12 apostles and four evangelists, are unscathed after being moved as part of the renovation.
It is still unclear how many of the cathedral's priceless treasures were saved. According to the Guardian, the Holy Crown of Thorns - one of Notre Dame’s most treasured relics - was saved. The 8,000-pipe Great Organ, originally built in 1403, has also survived the flames, as has The Tunic of Saint Louis, a 13th century garment.