A Scottish mother was reading about Notre Dame on April 15 being engulfed in smoke and flames when she came across a photo that caught her eye, Daily Mail reported.
Lesley Rowan took to social media and shared her thoughts about what she saw.
She said that she could see the silhouette of Jesus Christ on the burning cathedral.
“I may be letting my mind play tricks on me here,” Rowan wrote on her Facebook page. “Folks take a close look at this picture and what do you see,” Daily Mail reported.
Was Jesus in the flames of Notre Dame? This would be a sure sign that Jesus was not happy with what was going on at Notre Dame Cathedral. His house of worship had been turned into a tourist attraction.https://t.co/THdOPU9T8n pic.twitter.com/kzGeWhHkPc
— Catholic Doors (@CatholicDoors) April 17, 2019
Social media users rushed to see it for themselves, and some of them agreed that they could see it too.
Rowan told the newspaper about her surprise when she saw it.
“When I looked at this photo last night, I was really astounded by what I saw,” Rowan said. “When I look at it I see a silhouette of Jesus. I really see a vivid image,” Daily Record reported.
Her brother, who lives in Australia, also agreed with her.
“I shared it and asked for people’s opinions—even my brother in Australia said it looks like Jesus,” she said.
But she seems to have a deeper reason for sharing what she saw, saying, “I feel like it will bring comfort to people in Paris and all over the world at this sad time.”
Posted by Lesley Rowan on Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Rowan’s Facebook and Instagram posts were blowing up with comments made from many social media users:
“Looks like a figure of Jesus, or I am tripping?”
“I can see it pretty clear, gown and all.”
“Imagine this was how God showed us he wasn’t happy with us, by using acts of god to take away ancient, beautiful monuments/ and cathedrals.”
“Yeah I saw it straight away—it’s Jesus!”
Wow, I totally agree – I can see a figure of Jesus in the flames too. Do you see it, or is my mind playing tricks on me?#NotreDameFire #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/9NWm1q0gDj
— Kelly Schuberth (@KellySchuberth) April 17, 2019
Company Restoring Notre Dame Vows to Investigate Fire
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, and the company tasked with restoring France’s historical cathedral will reportedly cooperate with an investigation by French authorities.
Le Bras Freres, which won the 5 million pound ($6.5 million) contract to repair the spire on the roof, is participating in a long and complex investigation into what sparked the blaze that caused the roof and spire to collapse.
French police have already started to interview the 50 employees who participated in the restoration. Paris Public Prosecutor Remy Heitz believes there is no obvious sign the fire was caused by arson. He said it could have been an accident, and the incident is officially “involuntary destruction by fire.”
However, Le Bras Freres founder and construction chief Julien Le Bras claims none of his workers were on the site when the fire began.
“All that I can say for the moment, is that from the start of the fire, absolutely none of the workers from my company was present on the site,” Le Bras told Reuters. “All of our partners are working on and participating in this investigation, without any hesitation, without any hesitation. We want more than anyone to shed light on the origin of this tragedy.”
The cathedral spire was destroyed and its roof gutted, but the bell towers are still standing and many valuable pieces of art have been saved thanks to more than 400 firemen who finished containing the blaze 14 hours after it was reported at 6:30 p.m. local time.
The fire ruined the oak roof supports, where builders were completing extensive renovations to the spire’s timber-framed supports. However, the 10-meter (33-foot) filigreed stained-glass rose window is still intact.
One firefighter is recovering from injuries, and the building remains closed to the public.
Investigators will have to postpone entering the middle of the cathedral until experts are satisfied its walls withstood the heat and the building is structurally sound.
French President Emmanuel Macron promises the cathedral will be rebuilt and look even better.
“We will rebuild Notre Dame even more beautifully and I want it to be completed in five years, we can do it,” he said. “It is up to us to convert this disaster into an opportunity to come together, having deeply reflected on what we have been and what we have to be and become better than we are. It is up to us to find the thread of our national project.”
Epoch Times reporter Richard Szabo contributed to this article.
