Hey, history lovers. I'm Mike Rosenwald with RetroPod, a show about the past, rediscovered.

In April, millions of people watched the most famous cathedral in the world, Burn.

Notre Dame, the 856-year-old church nestled in the heart of Paris caught fire in the late afternoon on a beautiful spring day.

Smoke billowed into the sky.

Large parts of it are reduced to rubble. The roof has disappeared. The spire has collapsed inwardly.

This morning the fire is out in prayers and offers of help are coming in from all around the world. So I will say very solemnlyly. This morning the fire is out in prayers and offers of help are coming in from all around the world.

So, I will say very solanelym.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that the Paris landmark would be rebuilt.

But this isn't the first time France has rebuilt Notre Dame.

In its 856 years, the church has gone through a lot.

The first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1163 in the presence of Pope Alexander III.

20 years later, the altar went up.

After the two towers were constructed,

the entire cathedral was completed in 1345.

The first time Notre Dame was rebuilt,

that was for aesthetic purposes back in the late 15th century.

Louis XIV. He wanted a makeover. The stained glass

was replaced with clear windows. A pillar was demolished, not to give the place a more airy vibe,

but to allow carriages to pass through. An ornate partition that divided the main part of the church from the altar was also

torn down. When the French Revolution rolled around, Notre Dame became a symbol of decadence

in the aristocracy. The cathedral was seized by revolutionaries. Dozens of statues were destroyed,

and the spire was deconstructed.

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