Notre Dame solidarity from Scottish Churches with bells set to ring in sympathy

Churches across Scotland will be ringing their bells in solidarity with France after the devastating fire that ravaged the Notre Dame cathedral.

Rt Rev Susan Brown, Moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly, is urging congregations throughout the country to sound their bells in a show of sympathy with Paris and the French people.

The historic 850-year-old building was devastated by the inferno which broke out shortly after 7pm local time on Monday evening.

Now Mrs Brown is asking kirks to ring their bells at 7pm tonight.

Rt Rev Susan Brown is calling on churches across the country to ring their bells (Church of Scotland)

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She said: “The world has been shocked and saddened by the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral.

“The reaction is so great because the Church is more than 'just' a building.

“Many buildings, as well as being worship spaces, are a celebration of the gifts of stone masons, carpenters, glass makers, artists and musicians.

“They also house history and Notre Dame is one such church.

“In sympathy and solidarity with the people of Paris, I would encourage our churches and cathedrals, where possible, to ring their bells at 7pm on Thursday for seven minutes.”

One of the iconic spires at Notre-Dame disintegrates in the fire after the cathedral's roof collapsed (AFP/Getty Images)

French president Emmanuel Macron has promised to complete the restoration of the cathedral in five years.

It comes as hundreds of millions of Euros have been flooding into a donation fund set up in the aftermath of the blaze.

Rev Jan Steyn, minister of the Scots Kirk in Paris, said Notre Dame had a profound impact on people.

He added: “It is not only a presence for the Parisians, it belongs to the world.

The fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris started at around 7pm on Monday (Getty Images)

“On the night of the fire, we all went to bed with a sense of loss.

“Something we have taken for granted for centuries, or at least for as long as we remember, seemed to be disappearing right in front of us.

“Notre Dame is a tourist attraction, a place of worship, a refuge, a character in movies and novels.

“But for millions of people it is an icon, a home, a place with personality.

Flames are doused through the scaffolding erected on the cathedral's roof (AFP/Getty Images)

“For Parisians, Notre Dame is a calming presence and a reminder of the bigger presence.

“It is a place revered by a nation even though France is a secular state.”