LMVH owner pledges £173m to help repair Paris' Notre Dame

By Lisa Riley

Published: 16 April, 2019

The Arnault family - owners of LMVH, has pledged £173 million to help repair Paris' Notre Dame cathedral following the devastating fires that started yesterday.

A statement issued on behalf of the family said: “The Arnault family and the LVMH group would like to show their solidarity at this time of national tragedy, and are joining up to help rebuild this extraordinary cathedral, which is a symbol of France, of its heritage and of French unity.”

The pledge follows a similar £86 million donation for Notre Dame from Francois Henri Pinault - head of the Kering luxury goods company.

Pinault is quoted in French media as saying he and his father, Francois, had decided to donate the money to help with the “complete reconstruction” of the 800-year-old Gothic cathedral.

The fire, which was declared under control at the early hours of this morning, began last night and quickly reached the roof of the cathedral, destroying its famous stained-glass rose windows and the wooden interior before toppling the spire.  

Renovation works to restore the iconic cathedral has been estimated at £130 million following search teams assessing the extent of the damage caused.

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