I can't stop crying over Notre Dame.

I've never been there, but I feel as if my heart has been ripped.

I'm an art historian and one of my specializations is medieval art, so I know a lot about Notre Dame de Paris.
And, I've visited many Gothic cathedrals across Europe, although not that one in particular.

I spent my class time today discussing the importance of these buildings to their communities, then and now.

Notre Dame has been the icon of Paris for much longer than the Eiffel Tower.

It's where the Hunchback lived. It's where the people of Paris celebrated liberation from the Nazis. It's where people fled to pray during the terror attacks of November 2015 (although the cathedral was briefly closed while the attacks were happening, in case it became a target as well).

It survived several French revolutions (not unscathed, but survived) and two world wars.

I just can't believe it's gone.

Of course, what I feel is a drop in the bucket compared to many others.

One colleague of mine who studied at the Sorbonne and lived in Paris worshiped there regularly. When I told her she refused to believe me. She said she's in shock but when it wears off she'll fall apart completely.