JERUSALEM'S AL-AQSA MOSQUE FIRE BURNS AT THE SAME TIME AS FLAMES ENGULF NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL IN PARIS

By Tom O'Connor @ Newsweek.com, 4/15/19 AT 4:58 PM EDT

A fire broke out at the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem just as flames ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Footage showing smoke and fire originating from the roof of a structure known as the Marwani Prayer Room, or Solomon's Stables, could be seen on social media. The Palestine News Agency, the official outlet of the Palestinian National Authority, cited a guard as saying Monday that "the fire broke out in the guard's room outside the roof of the Marwani Prayer Room, and the fire brigade of the Islamic Waqf handled the matter successfully."

News of the incident at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam and central to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, was largely overshadowed by a much larger blaze engulfing the Notre Dame Cathedral at the same time

The Palestine News Agency reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' office "expressed its deep regret Monday over the fire that broke out at the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in the center of the French capital of Paris, which caused the collapse of the cathedral tower."

"The Presidency confirmed its solidarity and sympathy with our friends in France over this incident," the outlet added.

The Marwani Prayer Room is located underneath the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount [....]

Did not  seriously intend to demean the 19th C additions. Just to get across that the cathedral, she is a work in "progress" that reflects the country over time. The spire for example came with the chimera in 1844, influenced by Hugo's The Hunchback, 

[....] In the 1800s, Notre-Dame was in crisis. Bored of the Gothic style and embracing Baroque architecture, Parisians all but petitioned for the crumbling cathedral’s demolition.

Fortunately, French writer, playwright, and preservationist Victor Hugo sought to save it. In order to remind the public of its historic importance, he penned The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, a novel that celebrates the mystery and magnificence of the Medieval cathedral. As a result of the book’s success, there was a renewed interest in the church, leading the king to call for its refurbishment.

In 1844, architects Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc were commissioned to restore the aging cathedral. The duo employed a team of craftspeople who repaired existing features and added new elements, including a 750-ton spire, copper statues, and the now-famous 56 chimera.

Unlike the gargoyles, these statues do not protrude from the external walls. Instead, they line the Galerie des Chimères, a balcony that connects the two bell towers. From here, they peer over the balustrade, where they eerily keep watch over the city and adorn the cathedral with their one-of-a-kind silhouettes. [....]

Big "neo-gothic movement in Europe (and the U.S.) starts here: Figures of Ruin: Ruskin and Viollet Le Duc. "Pre-Raphaelites" in England. Pre-Raphael = appreciation of the Medieval. Reaction against industrialization and mass production, back to hand crafting....