On April 15, 2019, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris suffered severe damage from a fire. Today, only fifty percent of the structure is being rebuilt.

High school student Lexi Francois, who has family in France and has been to Paris more times than she can count, thinks the Cathedral should be completely rebuilt because it’s such an important monument that represents France.

“I think it should definitely be rebuilt,” Francois said. “Notre Dame is not only an important religious landmark, but also an integral part of the French landscape.” 

The Notre Dame Cathedral is over 800 years old, so it has years worth of history that continues to live within it.

“It survived both World Wars, and it would be a tragedy to lose this holy place now, when we need it most,” Francois said.

Notre Dame is also a popular tourist attraction because it showcases important artifacts of French history. It attracts 13 million people annually from around the globe.

If it were to be rebuilt, “it would continue to be a symbol of hope and boost tourism which generates revenue,” Francois said.

Junior Kaysa Flemk-Joli visited Paris this past summer, where she saw Notre Dame. Because of the fire, she was not able to see most of the Cathedral before it collapsed.

“When I went, I saw it after the fire, and a lot of people said how pretty it was. I was so excited to see it,” Flemk-Joli said. “This was probably the case for other visitors too.”

The Notre Dame Cathedral is not only valuable to Parisians who visit it regularly but also to people around the world.

“I think it should be rebuilt because it’s so monumental and has a lot of historical value. It’s also one of the most famous Catholic churches,” Flemk-Joli said.

Flemk-Joli hopes to visit again in the future to hopefully see Notre Dame after it is restored.

“Even though it fell apart, it still amazes me, and I would love to go again if it is rebuilt some day,” Flemk-Joli said.