In the wake of the shocking fire that has ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, French president Emmanuel Macron cancelled a planned address to the nation about the ongoing Yellow Vest protests and took to the Île de la Cité, the home of the historic church, to reassure the world that the legendary site would be repaired.

“What’s happened this evening is obviously a terrible drama,” Macron said, commending the “professionalism and determination” of firefighters and emergency crews. “I make this commitment: From tomorrow a national subscription will be organized in France and beyond our borders. We will call on the most talented people, and there are many of them, and they will come and contribute to this appeal. We will rebuild the cathedral. We will rebuild Notre Dame. It’s what the French expect. This is what our history deserves. This is our deep destiny.”

Macron promised a fundraising campaign to restore the cathedral, stressing that the building is the geographic heart of Paris, from which every city’s distance to the City of Lights is measured.

A priest holds the Crown of Thorns as the relic of the passion of Christ is presented to faithfuls at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 14, 2017. Photo courtesy Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images.

While shocking images of the wooden spire of Notre Dame exploding into flames transfixed the world, authorities have stressed that the worst has been averted. According to the BBC, the rector of Notre Dame, Patrick Jacquin, has told local press that some of the most famous relics of the church, the Crown of Thorns and the Tunic of St Louis, were recovered. Macron also added that the facade and the cathedral’s two main towers had not collapsed.