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The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is in recovery mode after Monday's devastating fire. Parisians and visitors came together near the church for a candlelight vigil on Tuesday. The investigation into the cause of the fire is underway as well as efforts to salvage rare and ancient artifacts. Most of the paintings and antiquities inside the building have been saved. Many of them were rescued by volunteers and firefighters on the night of the fire. They're kept in the Louvre and will be restored. More than 800 million US dollars have already been pledged by people around the world, to help with reconstruction. Our correspondent Stefan de Vries has more from Paris.
Parisians woke up with the horrific images of the ruins of its majestic cathedral, in the heart of the city.
"I want to cry. I'm devastated."
"It's indeed so dramatic. When we heard about it yesterday, we were so sad."
"Seeing it gone up in flames is very touching."
After a first inspection, it seems that large parts of the cathedral's structure have survived the flames.
STEFAN DE VRIES PARIS "But the day that started with a lot of sadness, ended with a glimmer of hope."
It is likely that the centuries-old church can be rebuilt. But that will be a costly affair.
On Tuesday night, in a televised speech to the nation, the French President was adamant about Notre Dame's future.
EMMANUEL MACRON FRENCH PRESIDENT "Let's rebuild the cathedral even more beautiful than before. And I want this work to be accomplished within five years."
But that may be too ambitious.
STEFAN DE VRIES PARIS "It took the flames just a couple of hours to destroy a large part of the cathedral. But it will take probably many decades to restore the Notre Dame to its full glory. This is Stefan de Vries, for CGTN in Paris."