As the sun began to set and the fire quell at the historic Notre Dame Cathedral de Paris, a crowd expressed their sympathy and compassion in song.
The fire, which occurred in the midst of a $6.8 million renovation project, severely damaged the roof, spire and wood surrounding the 12th-century place of worship.
Hours after the fire was contained, videos were posted on social media from outside the cathedral showing dozens of spectators somberly singing “Ave Maria” in unison.
Twitter user Ignacio Gil, a French correspondent, posted footage of the singing crowd on his account Monday afternoon. In the last frame of the 37-second clip, the Notre Dame Cathedral is seen burning.
The clip has been viewed more than 14 million times, shared more than 120,000 times and liked nearly 300,000 times.
On Twitter, many shared their warm regards to the moving serenade.
On Tuesday, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo confirmed that several of the significant religious relics were restored.
“The crown of thorns, the tunic of Saint Louis and several other major works (of art) are now in a safe place,” Hidalgo said.
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