Parisians descended on the heart of the city tonight for a candlelit vigil in honour of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Twenty-four hours after the world-famous building was almost completely decimated by the huge fire, hundreds of people gathered near the cathedral for an emotional vigil.
A day before, Parisians had stood in horror on the Seine riverbank.
And though the cathedral’s main structure was saved by firefighters, there remained a sense of mourning on Tuesday night as people sang and listened to music at the vigil.
But sister Marie Aimee, a nun who had hurried to a nearby church to pray as the flames spread on Monday, also captured the city’s defiance when she said earlier: “Yesterday we thought the whole cathedral would collapse. Yet this morning she is still standing, valiant, despite everything.
“It is a sign of hope.”
The vigil came after French president Emmanuel Macron set a target of five years for the ruined cathedral to be rebuilt.
Mr Macron outlined his hopes for the restoration in an address to the nation. He said France "will rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral even more beautifully" and pledged to "mobilise" as he thanked emergency services and donors who pledged money for the work.
Nearly 400 firefighters battled through the night before the blaze was declared fully extinguished at about 8am UK time.
Two police officers and one firefighter were injured, and at one point it was feared the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece would be completely destroyed in the blaze, which lasted more than 12 hours.
The bells at Westminster Abbey tolled at 5.43pm on Tuesday afternoon – 24 hours after the fire started - and Prime Minister Theresa May announced bells at churches and cathedrals across England would ring in a further show of solidarity on Maundy Thursday.
Investigators believe the blaze was caused by accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place.
By Tuesday evening, more than 600 million euros had been pledged from French families and companies including Total and L'Oreal Group.
It was expected to take 48 hours after the fire was extinguished for the structure to be deemed safe enough to enter.
