The flames at Notre Dame Cathedral had not yet been extinguished before pledges of rather large proportions had been made for its restoration. After a moment of amazement I quickly realized such an immediate and significant response was not surprising. It is difficult to describe accurately but the people of France are extremely proud of their history, language and culture.
The French government has offices that rigorously monitor and manage the French language (especially keeping English out) and culture. In one of the English coaching classes I lead in Fontainebleau the students spent 15 minutes discussing whether the government agency had recently made it acceptable to give a slight pronunciation to the "h" in les hericot (normally "h" is silent when it starts a word). Bakers must follow strict guidelines to bake baguettes. You may have two identical crops of grapes but the vineyards on either side of a road may have different labels due to strict regulation. Throughout history during times of poverty it was considered acceptable to construct expensive lavish opulent public buildings because that is what the French do.
The French love the country, language and culture and will go to great lengths to preserve these treasures. Preserving a national icon like Notre Dame falls into holding fast to the values of a nation.
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