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    3 Mins Read

    Salma Hayek’s Husband Donates €100 Million To Rebuild Notre Dame Of Paris

    By M. SrourApril 17, 2019Updated:July 2, 2020
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    The world was left heartbroken on Monday when news broke that the iconic cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris caught fire. Parisians, French, and citizens of the world alike wept at the footage of tall blazes and billowing pillars of smoke emerging from the consuming fires.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by سه تا آی ؛ سه تا زِد (@miiiladzzz)

    The massive church, which is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, is over 800 years old and is a huge part of French and European history.

    Took two centuries to build, Survived revolutions and world wars but at the end burned in 63 minutes 💔 #NotreDameCathedralFire pic.twitter.com/wkNsxURx9t

    — Rozh ☀️ (@rozhkarwan) April 16, 2019

    It has been the inspiration for many literary masters like Victor Hugo, Marcel Proust, and Sigmund Freud.

    Thankfully, the fire, which burned overnight, was extinguished Tuesday morning, but the damage is irreversible.

    Firefighters were able to save the 850-year-old landmark’s stone structure and its two towers, but the building’s roof and spire collapsed in the blaze.

    1/2 #Intervention #NotreDame : la structure de la cathédrale est sauvée et les principales œuvres d’art ont été sauvegardées, grâce à l'action combinée des différents services de l'État engagés à nos côtés. pic.twitter.com/0GJZKAdYdM

    — PompiersParis (@PompiersParis) April 16, 2019

    In less than 24 hours, people have donated the equivalent of $1 billion Canadian to help rebuild the Notre Dame cathedral. #NotreDameCathedralFirehttps://t.co/3ZXUVMrqEN

    — Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) April 16, 2019

    This broke my heart. #NotreDameCathedralFire pic.twitter.com/J8dm5bAUvD

    — TheExplorer (@DeeEnwere) April 16, 2019

    In a true testimony to the power of unity and how hope emerges from the darkness to overcome all adversity, donations to rebuild Notre Dame exceeded 650 million euros ($730 million) in the first few hours alone.

    The first hefty donation came from Salma Hayek’s billionaire husband, non-other than Francois-Henri Pinault, chief executive of the Kering Group. 

    💌Generous Hearts. Their pledge of support means so much to France and people all over the world | #SalmaHayek's Billionaire Husband Pledges $100 Million Euros to Rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral https://t.co/08j6O7F66f @PeopleStyle @SalmaHayek

    — Shelley Foy Robinson (@Writing_Destiny) April 16, 2019

    Pinault, whose holding group owns fashion brands Gucci and Yves Saint-Laurent, released a statement announcing the donation of $113 million (100 million euros), which was subsequently reported on Twitter.

    "Mon père (François Pinault) et moi même avons décidé de débloquer dès à présent sur les fonds d'Artemis une somme de 100 millions d'euros pour participer à l'effort qui sera nécessaire à la reconstruction complète de Notre Dame", écrit François-Henri Pinault

    — William Plummer (@PlummerWilliam) April 15, 2019

    “My father (François Pinault) and I have decided to release from Artemis funds a sum of 100 million euros to participate in the effort that will be necessary for the complete reconstruction of Notre Dame.” 

    A few hours after Pinault’s donation, another 200 million euros were pledged by Bernard Arnault (France’s richest man) and his company LVMH.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CBE8nRWnQqX/

    Plans for the building’s restoration are already underway. According to reports, the building will be restored as close to its original glory as possible.

    The architects and builders will be studying hyperrealistic photos and videos of the cathedral to recreate it as faithfully as possible.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BwVAMC_pdOU/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

    To keep the positivity going, we’re happy to report that most of the structure is intact.

    Many artifacts and monuments were salvaged, including the stained glass rose windows and the Crown of Thorns (a band of rushes said to be from the original crown of thorns placed on Jesus’s head), which was rescued during the fire by Priest Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of the Paris fire brigade.

    In a stroke of luck, the three famed stained-glass Rose windows at the historic Notre Dame cathedral seemed to have survived.#NotreDameCathedralFirehttps://t.co/LHiEVvcnW1

    — Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) April 16, 2019

    In addition, the French firefighting chief told reporters that the main structure of the cathedral had been saved, “We can consider that the two towers of the north belfry Notre-Dame have been saved. The structure of Our Lady is saved as a whole.”

    Pinault and Salma had tied the knot back in 2009 when the Lebanese-Mexican beauty confessed to meeting “the perfect man.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCE8B94njqP/

    Salma, whose father hails from Baabdat, Lebanon, is a regular guest and host of events for Lebanese communities abroad. Just last year, she was the guest of honor at a gala dinner organized by the British Lebanese Association in London.

    “Everywhere you go [in the world] there is a Lebanese community and it feels like home,” she had said.

    Hayek’s last visit to Lebanon was in 2015 to launch The Prophet, an animated feature film she co-produced about Gibran Khalil Gibran’s classic.

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