The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul of Nantes, also known as Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul or simply Nantes Cathedral, which dates from 1434, has been engulfed in flames.
UPDATE: Regional fire chief General Laurent Ferlay has told AFP that, after a two-hour battle, firemen have contained the blaze. The wire service reports that officials have told them the damage is “not comparable to last year’s fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris”, although interior fixtures including the cathedral organ have been destroyed. Our original report continues below.
BREAKING: Arson Suspected After Fire Guts #Nantes Cathedral, France https://t.co/QRNP1W9hHm
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 18, 2020
“After Notre-Dame, Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral, in the heart of Nantes, is in flames,” lamented President Emmanuel Macron in a social media post.
“Support for our firefighters who take all the risks to save this Gothic jewel of the city of the Dukes,” he said of the epic structure, which was started in the 15th century and not completed until 1891.
Après Notre-Dame, la cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, au cœur de Nantes, est en flammes. Soutien à nos sapeurs-pompiers qui prennent tous les risques pour sauver ce joyau gothique de la cité des Ducs.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 18, 2020
The cathedral in Nantes burns. pic.twitter.com/c8LXkS6Bhc
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 18, 2020
@BFMTV pic.twitter.com/puDvdoVtZU
— Jnoel Valentin (@JnoelValentin) July 18, 2020
The cause of the fire, which is not currently known. Breitbart London has previously reported on how dozens of French cathedrals, churches, and other historic buildings were in danger following the devastating Notre-Dame fire in 2019.
#Nantes | Courage aux sapeurs-#pompiers du @SDIS44 engagés sur l’#incendie à la cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de #Nantes.
Protéger, secourir et sauver. pic.twitter.com/z8ZaigcI3s— Pompiers de France (@PompiersFR) July 18, 2020
French Conservatives Warn of 75 ‘Small Notre Dame’ Level Disasters Waiting to Happen in Paris Alone https://t.co/lG1i49EMdc
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 11, 2019
This story is developing…
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