the choir enclosure, the treasury, shelters such relics as the crown of thorns and the tunic of louis ix is an incredible collection of paintings that decorate the chapels and interior, many of which were donated in the 17th century by the guild of goldsmiths as pious offerings to notre dame. that was recorded a short time ago. notre dame's main structure, we are told, is saved and the interior is not totally destroyed. many a rtefa cts not totally destroyed. many artefacts have been rescued and many had already been removed for restoration and cleaning work. let's look back at some of the images of the day. hello there, good morning. there's more spring sunshine and more spring warmth on the way as we head towards the easter weekend. the weekend just gone was quite chilly, temperatures about 12. an easterly wind and the air coming all the way from the baltic. but look what happens over the next few days. a lot of that blue, colder air gets pushed away and it really heats up across central parts of europe and that is where we are going to get our weather coming from. we will be developin

a 13th century tunic worn by king louis ix, the only french king to be canonised, and a 14th centuryy will be put in a safe place, today or tomorrow, but as soon as possible. with regard to the paintings, the big ones, they cannot be retrieved, until friday morning. as far as i'm concerned, they are not damaged. there is a little bit of smoke, we will transfer them to a secure place in the louvre museum. but what of notre dame's three famed rose windows? this morning fire crews were taking a closer look, last night there was talk of lead melting and glass exploding. the west window shows no signs of damage, but these are immense and intricate structures, it will take time to assess them. the south rose window was given by louis ix around 1260, it contains scenes from the life of christ, wonderful 13th century artistry. these were among the finest rose windows, the finest painted glass, to survive from high medieval europe. questions too about the vast 8000 pipe grand organ, recently restored, dating back to the medieval period. notre dame has been at the centre of french life for the

a 13th century tunic worn by king louis ix, the only french king to be canonised, and a 14th century. with regard to the treasures, they will be put in a safe place, today or tomorrow, but as soon as possible. with regard to the paintings, the big ones, they cannot be retrieved, until friday morning. as far as i'm concerned, they are not damaged. there is a little bit of smoke, we will transfer them to a secure place in the louvre museum. but what of notre dame's three famed rose windows? this morning fire crews were taking a closer look, last night there was talk of lead melting and glass exploding. the west window shows no signs of damage, but these are immense and intricate structures, it will take time to assess them. the south rose window was given by louis ix around 1260, it contains scenes from the life of christ, wonderful 13th century artistry. these were among the finest rose windows, the finest painted glass, to survive from high medieval europe. questions too about the vast 8000 pipe grand organ, recently restored, dating back to the medieval period. notre dame has been a

a 13th century tunic worn by king louis ix, the only french king to be canonised, and a 14th centurys, the big ones, they cannot be retrieved, until friday morning. as far as i'm concerned, they are not damaged. there is a little bit of smoke, we will transfer them to a secure place in the louvre museum. but what of notre dame's three famed rose windows? this morning fire crews were taking a closer look, last night there was talk of lead melting and glass exploding. the west window shows no signs of damage, but these are immense and intricate structures, it will take time to assess them. the south window was given by louis ix around 1260, it contains scenes from the life of christ, wonderful 13th century artistry. these were among the finest rose windows, the finest painted glass, to survive from high medieval europe. questions too about the vast 8000 pipe grand organ, recently restored, dating back to the medieval period. notre dame has been at the centre of french life for the better part of 1000 years, now it must close its doors, count the cost, and begin the long process of rest

the choir enclosure, the treasury, such relics as the crown of thorns and the tunic of louis the ix, series of paintings that echo rate the chapel and interior, many of which we re chapel and interior, many of which were donated in the 17th century by the guild of goldsmiths as pious offerings to notre dame. thank you very much indeed for talking to us. you are quite welcome and i wish it we re you are quite welcome and i wish it were under happier circumstances. absolutely. just briefly before we go, let's ta ke just briefly before we go, let's take you to the pictures. a massive fire has partially destroyed —— destroyed the mediaeval cathedral of notre dame in paris. a place that took, well, the main body of the building to 100 years to build, the whole thing about 200 years. a racing blaze took over the roof and the spire. the main stone structure including the two famous square towers have been saved and much of the interior may not be as badly damaged as feared. in 04 watching. —— thank you. hello there, good morning. there's more spring sunshine and more spring warmth on the wa

because that was, going back to the time of louis ix, st. louis, and they built the champs lapell for safe keeping. indeed i saw it there when i was in paris but it was in the treasury. >> where is that? >> that was in the -- it was like a lower section off the main part of the cathedral. i don't remember it being in the spire. st. genevieve, great protector of paris. so for catholics, relics are of great significance. >> these images are devastating. we're watching on the lower right-hand of your screen that entire that collapsed about 20 minutes ago, 750 tons. bishop baron, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing these insights. i want to bring in another eyewitness on the scene, a lifelong paris resident. she works right near the cathedral. you were evacuated from your work, weren't you? >> well, i just actually saw the fire from the window of our workplace, and so we don't -- i don't work very far away from notre dame, and i saw some flames. at first, i didn't believe it. i couldn't believe my eyes. i saw some yellowish colors

believejesus w0 re thorns that christians believejesus wore before the crucifixion, the tunic worn by louis ixhas been saved. there was damage around the altar but by and large a lot of the interior is still there which is why it has given rise to this hope that notre dame can rise again. thank you, and we will bring you all those pictures we have, amazing pictures of the inside and outside. so how did the fire spread through the cathedral? we still don't know the cause but smoke emerged from the building just before seven o'clock local time. the fire appears to have started beneath the 315 foot spire — quickly spreading north and south along the timber roof. the blaze then travelled along the eastern section — and the other way too, towards the towers. during last night's programme we were broadcasting while the notre dame fire was at its worst — and among the people we spoke to on air was the journalist agnes poirier — whose paris flat overlooks the catherdral. overlooks the cathedral. at one point she spoke about being on the verge of tears — well — this morning she tweeted with more optimi

louis ix. the crown of christ is still in that church. especially in holy week you have the faithful coming in to venerate the crown of thorns that circled jesus' head. when i first thought what is going to happen to this piece of catholic christian history that is one of the greatest treasures of that church. >> so many pieces of history, as we watch what is happening at notre dame cathedral. the medieval church in paris. with me now philippe and doris who are here visiting. just a few blocks from the cathedral. thank you so much for coming in. i can't majimagine as you're watching this important icon of paris going up in flames. what are your thoughts? >> it's exactly like the statue of liberty right now is on fire. you cannot imagine that. it's everywhere from paris, can you see the cathedral. it's unbelievable. >> i'm devastated. it's a shock. we live in the neighborhood, we're catholic, and our daughter had a coming up there. we walked every day. so, it's our life. you know, it's a religious institution. but it's just a history of fr