Paris, France, Apr 15, 2019 / 13:57 pm
Catholics around the world watched with horror as the roof of Cathedrale Notre-Dame was engulfed with flames on Monday afternoon. The blaze began shortly after the church closed for visitors, and everyone was evacuated safely, though the entirety of the roof collapsed into the church.
Here are five things you may not know about the church that has often been called the "Queen of Cathedrals."
1. Building was an 182-year process
Rome was not built in a day, and neither was Notre-Dame. Construction of the cathedral began in 1160 and took nearly two centuries. While most work was done by 1260, it was finally completed in 1345.