Treasures Of Architecture Lost In The Flames

In the wake of the terrible fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral and the blow to world heritage, we wonder how safe monuments and artistic heritage are. Fire is undoubtedly one of the worst enemies in these cases, as flames quickly devour building structures.

In a fire, the losses are irreversible, the fire destroys everything in its path. In the case of Notre Dame, thanks to the heroic action of firefighters and specialists, it has been possible to save the frame of the building and its towers. In this way, its identity is preserved and the titanic task of restoration is made possible.

But many other architectural works were not so lucky and today they are only remembered through images or writings. In these lines we talk about some of the most famous constructions that suffered the fierce attack of the flames.

The Great Library of Alexandria

It was said that it housed more than 900,000 manuscripts and that it was the largest in the world at the time. It must have been an unprecedented marvel, a luminous beacon of knowledge whose ground was trodden by sages like Archimedes or Euclid.

Its complete destruction is not without questions and doubts. The most feasible sequence places the first accident in a fire in the year 47 BC Julius Caesar and his troops, joining forces with Cleopatra, tried to repel an attack on the city.

The emperor was besieged in the palace, while a fire would have spread to the library’s book depository. In that first incident, some 40,000 scrolls were lost. What is certain is that it was the first of many disasters that caused the decline of the Great Library.

Wars, diseases, earthquakes, political conflicts … In each of the attacks, scrolls were destroyed and burned. A slow descent into hell that began with fire and ended up erasing its trace in history. Although precise data on his appearance is lacking, in 2002 the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina was inaugurated to honor his memory.

London’s old St Paul’s Cathedral engulfed in flames

The old Gothic cathedral was built between 1087 and 1314, raising one of the tallest spiers in Europe at the time. During the sixteenth century its deterioration and various looting were on the rise. In 1561 lightning destroyed the imposing spire and it was not replaced.

Charles II of England plans in 1663 to restore it to its splendor. He hires the architect Christopher Wren, whose restoration plan was approved in 1666. Unfortunately, on September 2 of that same year, the Great Fire of London broke out.

The roof of the cathedral begins to burn on September 4. A large number of valuables had been kept inside, thinking that they would be safe from the flames there. The books only served to fan the fire.

Most of the building was lost and it was decided to build a new church instead of rebuilding the old one. The baroque construction is the one that has survived until today. The former is only known through paintings and engravings. The Great Fire raged through the city for three days, the only good part being the end of the bubonic plague in London.

The cathedral of León, rescued from the flames

A story with less catastrophic consequences is that of  Pulchra Leonina. One of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in our country also has one of the largest collections of medieval stained glass in the world.

This jewel of our architecture was about to be lost on May 27, 1966. The cause was a fire that caused a strong lightning strike on the roof. In this case, the brave and risky decision of the master of the works that were being carried out, Andrés Seoane, saved the building from total disaster.

The master stonemason warned the firefighters of the danger of using water to smother the flames : the light, porous stone would absorb it, increasing its weight and causing a cave-in. Instead, foam was used and the cathedral was set free from the flames.

The Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, ​​a symbol of the city

On January 31, 1994, the inhabitants of Barcelona were heartbroken. Sparks from an operator’s torch set off a terrible fire. Precisely, they were working on the iron curtain to protect the theater room from a possible fire.

The flames soon became uncontrollable, destroying the theater in just over 15 minutes and reducing it to its foundations. It was not the first time it had happened, but it was the greatest possible catastrophe.

After the great commotion and the massive mobilization of donations and sponsorship, the Liceo was able to rebuild itself in the same place on La Rambla. It was reopened in 1999.

La Fenice in Venice, a sad story in flames

It is one of the most iconic opera houses in the world, on whose stages works such as La Traviata  by Verdi have been premiered  . It was inaugurated in 1792, after the fire that had destroyed the San Benedetto theater.

Unfortunately, on January 29, 1996,  the Venice  suffered the same fate as its predecessor. Although he had already suffered from the rage of the fire before, this one was absolutely destructive. The misfortune was increased when it was discovered that the flames had been caused.

The reconstruction tasks were carried out by the prestigious architect Aldo Rossi. He chose to respect the original character of the theater and was not without criticism. The reopening took place in 2003.

There have been countless times that monuments have suffered from fire. In 2018 the National Museum of Brazil caught fire. Not only the 19th century palace was lost, but also the most important collection of history and anthropology in Latin America. Serious fires in cities like Lisbon, Chicago or San Francisco have meant incalculable losses for the heritage that continue to cry today.