Miraculously, firefighters stopped the blaze reaching the bell towers whose collapse would have almost certainly brought the facade down - and from destroying the bells, the Grand Organ and the Parisian monument's stained-glass rosette windows.
The bee hives on the roof also survived, along with dozens of treasures including precious artworks, ancient books and relics extracted by a human chain of firefighters, police and city council workers.
In the weeks after, as the damage was assessed, a unique collection of 17th-century religious paintings was removed from the cathedral, damp but mostly undamaged.
The 13 "Mays" - part of a series of 76 large oil works painted by the best artists in France between 1630 and 1707 had hung in the cathedral's chapels, often overlooked by visitors.
They will go on public display, having been restored by experts from Mobilier National, the body charged with conserving France's historical objects, before returning to Notre Dame for its reopening in December.
Emmanuel Pénicaut, director of Mobilier National collections, said: "We were very lucky to be able to get them out with just a little water damage and dust. It was rather miraculous.
This story is from the April 19, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the April 19, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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