Which Gothic cathedral in Paris was damaged by fire in 2019?

The Gothic cathedral in Paris damaged by fire in 2019 was Notre-Dame de Paris.

The blaze began in the cathedral’s attic on 15 April 2019, during restoration work. It destroyed the medieval wooden roof framework—known as the “forest”—and the cathedral’s 19th-century spire, or flèche. Much of the stone structure survived, including the façade, towers, flying buttresses, and most of the vaulted ceiling.

Notre-Dame stands on the Île de la Cité in the Seine and is one of the defining monuments of French Gothic architecture. Construction began in 1163, and major work continued for roughly two centuries. The cathedral is sometimes confused with other famous French Gothic churches, such as Chartres, Reims, and Amiens, but none of those was the Paris cathedral affected by the 2019 blaze.

The fire prompted an international restoration effort. Notre-Dame reopened to the public in December 2024, after conservationists rebuilt damaged elements while preserving the building’s historic design.