From The Ashes: Notre Dame
Stories of hope and inspiration around the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral
In 2019 a devastating fire ripped through the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Locals looked on in disbelief, and millions watched on television around the world, as the iconic wooden spire came crashing down into the flames. Many thought Notre Dame was lost forever, but the 860-year-old Cathedral was not for giving up and over the past four years a team of skilled workers, at a cost of 700 million Euros, have painstakingly reconstructed this medieval masterpiece.
In this Heart and Soul Christmas special, as the doors of Notre Dame reopen, Colm Flynn travels to Paris to meet five people who say the symbolism of this Cathedral's restoration has had a profound impact on their faith. From a young wheelchair user who constructed a wheelchair for Pope Francis from the Cathedral's burnt wood, to the firefighter who saved the sacred chalice from the flames, to the young female footballer involved in the Paris Olympics who is now inspired to see the cathedral's rebirth... and a choir made up of the Cathedral's architects and carpenters singing to give thanks.
At Christmas, a time of joy and hope, the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral stands as a testament of the power of faith, not just for Christians in France, but right around the world.
Presenter/ Producer: Colm Flynn
Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
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Heart and Soul
Personal approaches to religious belief from around the world.