Notre-Dame inspired Americans' love and help after fire

Through an avalanche of giving in amounts from US$10 (S$13.50) to US$10 million, Americans have proven their love for Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral, mobilizing to support the rebirth of a monument they hold dear.

"After the French, the Americans have been the biggest donors by far," said Mr Michel Picaud, president of the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, ahead of the cathedral's reopening in December.

Founded in 2017, the group saw donations soar two years later, following the devastating fire that tore through the cathedral on April 15, 2019.

To date, the organization - headquartered in the north-eastern American state of New Hampshire - has raised a total of US$57 million from 45,000 donors, with Americans leading the way.

The top donations included US$10 million each from the Starr Foundation, one of the largest American foundations, and the Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Foundation.

When one adds donations made to other Notre-Dame-supporting groups, including New York's French Heritage Society - which received a US$2 million cheque from the family of cosmetics icon Estee Lauder - Mr Picaud estimates that Americans have contributed US$62 million for the restoration fund.

Built more than 600 years before the Eiffel Tower, the cathedral is "one of the world's great treasures", as former United States president Barack Obama, who visited in June 2009 with his wife and daughters, said on X.