PARIS (AP) — Pipe by precious pipe, the organ that once thundered through Notre Dame Cathedral is being taken apart after last year’s devastating fire. The restoration is expected to last nearly four years.

(RNS) — Some are asking if Paris’ restored cathedral should serve as a cultural center. The archbishop of Paris argues that its mission as a church is critical to the city and mankind.

PARIS (RNS)  — At the first mass celebrated at Notre Dame since a fire destroyed its roof and spire, Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit reminded worshipers and viewers on television that the cathedral’s primary identity is as a church, rebutting some restoration plans that focus on its historical value.

PARIS (RNS) — Holy Week services for Catholics in Paris go on in new locations while plans for recovering from the Notre Dame Cathedral fire get started with more than $1 billion pledged for repairs.

(The Conversation) — The Notre-Dame de Paris had been damaged and changed many times since the mid-12th century. But the fire on April 15 might have been its most catastrophic event.

(RNS) — Great cathedrals like Canterbury and St. Paul’s have risen from their ashes, giving us some of Christendom’s most majestic and popular pilgrimage sites today.

PARIS (RNS) — Crowds gathered outside of Notre Dame Cathedral to give thanks that the beloved Paris landmark still stood, while officials began assessing damaging and making plans to rebuild. More than 500 million euros has already been pledged toward repairs.

(RNS) — In recent decades, Notre Dame was more a tourist destination than a place of pilgrimage or a seat of Catholic potency.

(RNS) — The Paris cathedral celebrated its 850th anniversary in 2013. It has been the most visited monument in France, according to the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau.

(RNS) — A massive fire engulfed the 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris Monday evening (April 15), destroying the entire wooden frame. The roof and spire also collapsed.

PARIS (RNS) Only one of Notre Dame Cathedral’s original 10 bells survived the French Revolution, and officials hope a new set of nine replacement bells will be more befitting of “the first church of France.”