French billionaire gives $109 million to rebuild Notre Dame

French billionaire Francois Pinault and son Francois-Henri Pinault have officially signed documents setting aside 100 million euros ($109 million) toward rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral. Tuesday’s donation follows months of delays that left French officials largely reliant on small charity donations to fund the first phase of repairs, following the devastating fire on April 15.

Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit says “everyone gives what he can according to his needs, but the big donors give us breathing room.

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Notre Dame Cathedral has far to go to recover from a destructive fire 

Francois Pinault, whose international luxury group Kering owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, pledged the money directly after the fire. His rival, French billionaire Bernard Arnault of luxury goods group LVMH, soon followed suit, pledging 200 million euros ($218 million). Arnault finalized his donation agreement with the Notre Dame Foundation last week. Notre Dame Cathedral has far to go to recover from a destructive fire but a hardy copper rooster that once topped the spire is serving as a reminder that all wasn’t lost. Roosters are a symbol of France.

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High heat and the long fall deformed the cathedral-capping rooster

The small bird that adorned Notre Dame plunged to the ground in the April fire that collapsed the spire and consumed the roof. High heat and the long fall deformed the cathedral-capping rooster, but it survived and is going on public display this weekend. French Culture Minister Frank Riester says the rooster is a “witness to what happened in this terrible fire. Riester said Friday that work to stabilize the cathedral’s structure continues and reconstruction isn’t expected to start for at least a few months. Notre Dame will be closed to the public for several years.

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