Inspiring Women Summer 2019

Hysteria spreads quickly and, at one point, I was told that the bells were melting. The funniest
question was from a friend who asked me if I had a “firesafe.” I replied that I have a dandy, cast
iron Le Creuset pot, in which I keep my passport and some emergency cash. As a fully efficient
FAWCO gal, the passport and emergency cash were, of course, in a Ziplock bag inside the Le
Creuset pot. Still are.
Yesterday I was so bereaved, I could barely speak. When I was out walking, trying to get close
to the cathedral’s north side, I ran into a French friend. He told me the flying buttresses had
moved. Since the flying buttresses were built specifically to withstand stress, that seemed
alarming but okay. As I had given what was, almost certainly, the last tour in English, I got
interviewed by the British TV channel, Channel 4.
Today, things are looking up. The millions and millions of euros needed to rebuild Notre Dame
are pouring in. Most of the
artworks seem to have been
saved. It appears that the
iconic 14 th century Virgin of the
Pillar is still standing. And the
famous pieta in the chancel
seems to have come through
the blaze more or less intact.
Yesterday, it seemed that I
might not get back into the
Cathedral in my lifetime,
remembering that it took Viollet
-le-Duc and his team 20 years
to restore ND in the mid-19 th
century. But, as I write this,
architects are already arguing
(it’s France) and theorizing (it’s Notre Dame before the fire
France) about how to rebuild a
different roof, as there are not 1,300, 800-year-old oak beams to be found anywhere.
I am remembering my own words. When people would ask me, “When was Notre Dame
finished?” I always responded that the custodians were continually fiddling with things. At one
of our obligatory volunteer meetings, the topic under discussion was “The Modern Windows.” I
assumed, of course, that this meant the abstract, post WWII stained glass windows by Jacques
le Chevalier. Nope. In Notre Dame terms, “modern” meant the 19 th century windows by Didron
and his team.
This time round, Notre Dame will be even more modern. By necessity. And with any luck at all, I’ll
still be around to give another tour.
Rebecca DeFraites has called Paris home for 15 years. She and her late husband, Gerry, sold
their house in New Orleans, retired and moved to Paris in 2004. She is a past President of AWG
Paris and is also a member of AAWE. She served as interim FAWCO 2 nd VP, from 2016 – 2017,
and has held the position of FAWCO Membership Chair since 2017. She is also past President of
the American Catholic Women’s Organization (of Paris.)
When not in Paris, you will likely find Rebecca on a home exchange. She and Gerry began
exchanging their home in 1987 (New Orleans and then Paris) and, to date, she has completed
50 successful home exchanges. This summer she will be in San Francisco, Washington DC and
New Orleans, while other liked-minded, intrepid souls are in her Paris apartment. Although she
will, sadly, not be giving tours of Notre Dame for a while, she assures me that no grass will be
growing under her feet.
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