That we no longer build things for eternity (no pyramids, no
temples, no cathedrals) – so be it. (1) But
that we, with all our material means, are not even able to take care of the
best that previous generations bequeathed to our world! That we, with all our technology, let burn a
cathedral!
It was with a mix of sadness, despair and shame, too, that I
watched the photos. If we cannot even preserve
our cathedrals… (2)
In the days
following the disaster, general outpourings of grief & regret kept equal
pace with outpourings of generosity.
“We are going to
rebuild this cathedral, all together ”. Propaganda of an embattled president? Perhaps, but the sentence truly touched
me. In the middle ages, people of all
walks of life helped build the cathedrals, bringing stones & beams &
provisions for the workers, with whatever means of transport that were
available, clogging the roads to the cathedrals’ building sites. That, in any case, is the romantic image I have
somehow retained from my Cathedral-readings (3)
Does it reflect a historical truth? I would certainly like to think it
does. Just as I’m now equally eager to
hear an echo of this medieval enthusiasm in the fervour of the crowd funding for the restoration. Seeing it somehow as a proof that we are not
merely superficial individualist consumers, that we do still cherish the beauty and
the relative permanence of our cathedrals, that we do still acknowledge the
greatness of what a shared longing for transcendence can achieve.
Of course, there were not only the crowds, but also the
billionaires stepping in. It’s legitimate to raise the question of whether
their immense fortunes are not a failure of social fairness. One can understand
the grumbling that they’d better just pay their fair share of taxes. (4)
But on the
other hand – if their donations were inspired by an obscure sense of seeking
redemption, well – then there too, I somehow find reason for hope. If shrewd businessmen still feel such
a need for redemption , still feel awe in the face of beauty and history -
well, then our age does not live in entire forgetfulness of that which might
transcend our human condition.
Notes
(1) Maybe future generations will stand in awe of our digital web spanning the whole wide world, catching our every single move & utterance.
(2) We’re not the only generation realising with a shock that cathedrals can burn, that we might irrevocably lose invaluable treasures : “Le grand incendie de 1836, qui détruisit la toiture avec sa belle charpente, et qui eût pu détruire l’église toute entière, attire sur elle l’attention des érudits, des artistes et de l’Etat. On s’effraya à la pensée que ce chef d’œuvre aurait pu être anéanti sans qu’il en restât même un souvenir. « Emile Mâle – Notre Dame de Chartres, 1948
(3) The cathedral-enthusiasm of the crowds is described in Emile Mâle’s book about the Chratres cathedral, citing a medieval abbot: “L’enthousiasme des foules - On vit cette année-là, à Chartres, les fidèles s’atteler à des chariots chargés de pierres, de bois, de blé et de tout ce qui pouvait servir aux travaux de la cathédrale, dont les tours s’élevaient alors comme par enchantement. L’enthousiasme gagna la Normandie et la France : partout on voyait des hommes et des femmes traîner de lourds fardeaux à travers les marais fangeux ; partout on faisait pénitence, partout on pardonnait à ses ennemis » Emile Mâle – Notre Dame de Chartres, 1948
(4) The ethical question of where to put priorities (bluntly put : saving cathedrals or people) has been evoked by Proust, in the far starker context of a war, with people’s lives at stake.
“Les cathédrales doivent être adorées jusqu’au jour où, pour les préserver, il faudrait renier les vérités qu’elles enseignent. […] Ne sacrifiez pas des hommes à des pierres dont la beauté vient justement d’avoir un moment fixé des vérités humaines. » Le TempsRetrouvé
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