A view of the south side of the building with the flames. The wooden spire that later collapsed is visible.
A major landmark of Paris, the Church of Notre Dame with its prominent spires, suffered a major fire on Monday 10 Nisan-April 15. Much of the roof was destroyed, along with its prominent spire. The church was the site of the 13th century Paris Trial where prominent Jewish sages, including several Baalei Tosafos, were forced to participate in a disputation about the value of the Talmud which resulted in a decree to burn thousands of manuscripts.
The trial was instigated by the Jewish apostate Nicholas Donin, who translated passages of the gemora and sent them to the pope. The debate started on the 12 June 1240. Four prominent sages, including Rabbi Yechiel of Paris and Rabbi Moshe of Coucy author of the Sefer Mitzvos Godol. Both are among the authors of the Tosafos printed along with the gemora.
The result was a an order to burn the Talmud which was carried out on June 17, 1244. The disputation and the burning were directed by King Louis of France who is today known as Saint Louis.
On that sad day, 24 wagon-loads filled with manuscripts of the Talmud were burned. Some estimates are that as many as 10,000 manuscripts were burned. This was hundreds of years before the invention of printing so the destruction of so many manuscripts was a severe blow.
Among the witnesses to the burning were Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg, the Maharam, who wrote the kinah, Sha'eli serufah ba'eish, about the event. This kinah is said annually on Tisha B'Av.
The cathedral as it appeared after the fire.
