By Maile Hutterer

The Notre-Dame de Paris had been damaged and changed many times since it was begun in the mid-12th century . But the fire on April 15 might have been its most catastrophic event.

Located on the eastern end of the Ile-de-la-Cit, an island on the Seine River, the site was a Christian church since the fourth century . And for a long time, it remained a powerful symbol of church authority. Even today, it is the seat of the archbishop of Paris.

As a scholar of Gothic architecture I have studied how this and other buildings were continuously adapted to reflect changing architectural fashion and to enhance the spiritual experience of the visitor.