France’s superrich have joined together and pledged approximately €600 million ($677 million) to help rebuild Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral, which went up in flames on the evening of April 15.
Bernard Arnault, the richest person in France and third-richest in the world, pledged to donate €200 million ($226 million). Other billionaires include François-Henri Pinault, CEO and chairman of the luxury group Kering — which owns luxury brands including Gucci and Alexander McQueen — and chairman of the holding company Groupe Artemis, who donated €100 million ($113 million), and the Bettencourt family, which owns the cosmetics company L'Oréal, is the second-richest family in France behind Arnault, pledged €200 million ($226 million).
And French firms have announced pledges, include Total S.A., a French multinational integrated oil and gas company, pledged €100 million ($113 million), and Crédit Agricole, one of France's biggest banks, donated €5 million ($5.6 billion).
There were more than 100 campaigns to raise funds for Notre-Dame Cathedral on GoFundMe as of the morning of April 16. And the New York City–based French Heritage Society on April 15 launched a restoration fund for Notre-Dame, Reuters reported on Monday.
The French government also will launch a global campaign to gather donations for the reconstruction, President Emmanuel Macron said.
The fire was fully extinguished by 10 a.m. local time on April 16. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
