Notre Dame fire: Parisians hold huge vigil at cathedral as monuments around the world light up in solidarity

One World Center, Duomo chapel and Venice theatre among landmarks illuminated with French colours

Notre Dame fire: What we know so far

Parisians gathered in front of Notre Dame on Tuesday night, at a vigil where music was played and attendees prayed for the future of the cathedral.

The fire which devastated the cathedral is thought to have been caused by an accident rather than arson, the Paris public prosecutor said.

Investigators are working to establish what led the centuries-old architectural masterpiece to be consumed by flames on Monday evening.

Fifty investigators are working on the probe and will interview workers from five companies, hired to renovate Notre Dame’s roof.

Remy Heitz, the Paris prosecutor, said the inquiry into the Notre Dame fire would be “long and complex”.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, committed to rebuild the church within five years, in a short public address on Tuesday.

He called for unity and said Notre Dame would be restored to be “even more beautiful”.

“We can do it and once again, we will mobilise,” he said.

Wealthy French benefactors have pledged hundreds of millions of euros to rebuild the famous building after its roof and spire were ravaged by the blaze.

On Tuesday night, monuments around the world were lit up in the colours of the French flag, in a show of solidarity with Paris.

One World Trade Centre, the dome of the Chapel of the Holy Shroud inside the Duomo in Turin and the La Fenice theatre in Venice, were among the monuments taking part in the global gesture.

If you would like to see how the Notre Dame fire unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below:

[16 April 2019 09:09 · Jon Sharman]

Here, one of our picture editors Liam James has compiled a gallery showing how the world's press reported on the catastrophe.

The French Catholic newspaper La Croix led with the headline, "Our heart in ashes".

Les Echos called the blaze "the tragedy of Paris".

[16 April 2019 09:15 · Jon Sharman]

A woman sits in despair near the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, on Tuesday, 16 April 

This powerful image shows what the fire has meant to people in Paris.

[16 April 2019 09:20 · Jon Sharman]

This video from last night shows the sun setting on the cathedral as flames still raged.

[16 April 2019 09:25 · Jon Sharman]

More from the Vatican.

Holy See spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said that the pope ''is close to France" and that he is offering prayers ''for all those who are trying to cope with this dramatic situation". 

The Vatican expressed its ''shock and sadness" at the fire that caused extensive damage to a cathedral that is ''a symbol of Christianity in France and in the world". 

[16 April 2019 09:32 · Jon Sharman]

Here, architecture writer Oliver Bennett mourns what we have lost in the Notre Dame fire.

He writes: It is deeply jarring to see an important historic building go up in flames. In 1992, Windsor Castle was one such calamity, but the scale of Notre Dame eclipses that. Not for nothing does this edifice attract more than 30,000 visitors daily.

The western front is the absolute world-beater, the bucket-list photograph with those two 13th century towers framing that fateful spire – a symphony of line, geometry and proportion rising from Parvis Notre Dame or place Jean-Paul II.

To read on, click here.

[16 April 2019 09:40 · Chris Baynes]

Christian leaders around the world have been voicing sorrow over the Notre Dame fire, with Egypt's Coptic Church the latest to issue a statement expressing "profound sadness".

The head of Egypt's Copts, Pope Tawadroz II, described the blaze as a "huge loss for entire humanity" at "one of the most important monuments in the world." 

Cairo's foreign ministry also expressed "great regret and pain" over the fire, citing Notre Dame's "historical and culture value" for France and world heritage. 

[16 April 2019 09:45 · Jon Sharman]

Here, our travel correspondent Simon Calder explores what the blaze will mean for tourism in Paris.

Notre Dame is the most popular tourist attraction in France, he writes, with free admission every day of the year between 8am and 6.45pm.

To read more, click here.

[16 April 2019 09:53 · Chris Baynes]

Notre Dame's organ, one of the biggest and most famous in the world, remains intact after the fire, according to Paris's deputy mayor. 

Emmanuel Gregoire told BFMTV a plan to protect the cathedral's treasures had been rapidly and successfully activated.

The organ, constructed by Francois Thierry, dates back to the 1730s and boasts an estimated 8,000 pipes.

Mr Gregoire also described "enormous relief'' at the salvaging of pieces such as the Crown of Thorns, which was feared to have been destroyed in the blaze.

[16 April 2019 09:58 · Chris Baynes]

Emmanuel Macron has suspended campaigning for the European elections following the Notre Dame fire. 

French politician Nathalie Loiseau, who is spearheading the campaign for the president's LREM party, said the decision had been taken to mark this "moment of extreme sadness". 

The campaign has been halted "until further notice", she tweeted.

[16 April 2019 10:07 · Chris Baynes]

 Moving footage from last night shows a crowd of Parisians singing "Ave Maria", the Catholic hymn, as they watch Notre Dame burn: