Notre Dame fire fundraiser gets £86,000,000 pledge from Pinault family

French president Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral after a fire ravaged ..

By Sunday Herald Team , in World Update , at April 16, 2019

French president Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral after a fire ravaged the historic landmark – and fundraising has already begun.

French billionaires the Pinault family have reportedly pledged more than €100 million (£86 million) to restore the 800-year-old cathedral, whose spire collapsed amid the flames.

Francois-Henri Pinault, who is married to actress Salma Hayek, is quoted in the French media as saying he and his father, Francois, had decided to donate the money to help with the complete reconstruction of Notre Dame.

epa07509101 The spire collapses while flames are burning the roof of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, 15 April 2019. A fire started in the late afternoon in one of the most visited monuments of the French capital. EPA/IAN LANGSDON — An international fundraising appeal has been launched to help rebuild the Notre Dame (Picture: EPA)

BGUK_1550709 - ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED KINGDOM ** Paris, FRANCE - General Views of the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire. A fire erupted at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, destroying the roof and its iconic spire. A fire broke out on Monday afternoon and quickly spread across the building, collapsing the spire. The cause is yet unknown but officials said it was possibly linked to ongoing renovation work. Pictured: Notre-Dame Cathedral fire BACKGRID UK 15 APRIL 2019 BYLINE MUST READ: BEST IMAGE / BACKGRID UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com *UK Clients - Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* — It is hoped that the majority of the 800-year-old structure can be saved (Picture: Backgrid)

epa07508879 Flames on the roof of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, 15 April 2019. A fire started in the late afternoon in one of the most visited monuments of the French capital. EPA/IAN LANGSDON — A huge fundraising effort is underway to restore the cathedral to its former glory (Picture: EPA)

Firefighters (L and R) work to extinguish a fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris early on April 16, 2019. - A huge fire that devastated Notre-Dame Cathedral is "under control", the Paris fire brigade said early on April 16 after firefighters spent hours battling the flames. (Photo by Zakaria ABDELKAFI / AFP)ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP/Getty Images — Pictures this morning show the main structure is still standing following the devastating fire (Picture: AFP)

Smoke rises around the alter in front of the cross inside the Notre Dame Cathedral as a fire continues to burn in Paris, France, April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/Pool — Pinault pledged £86,000,000 towards the restoration of the cathedral (Picture: Reuters)

The younger Mr Pinault is chief executive of international luxury group Kering, which owns brands such as Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, and is the president of French holding company Groupe Artemis, which owns the Christies auction house.

Meanwhile, Frances Fondation du Patrimoine, a private organisation which works to protect French heritage, said it would be starting an international appeal.

It tweeted: For our Lady to be reborn from her ashes we are launching an international appeal. All donations received will be paid in full to the restoration site.

Mr Macron said he would be looking beyond our borders as the fundraising campaign got under way.