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by Animats 2584 days ago
Yes. But I would not be at all surprised if large steel temporary shoring beams were soon placed inside to brace the columns against inward forces. Very common in California after earthquakes.[1]

[1] http://construction911.com/emergency-services/shoring/

2 comments

As a side note, it can be a permanent thing for some cathedrals.

I'm thinking of Beauvais Cathedral:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Interior_of_Cath...

This cathedral is the highest in France, but it had some design flaws, with part of the vault collapsing during the construction, and then, the huge spire collapsed during Ascension Day in 1573. It was never finished because of that.

This cathedral is also quite interesting because of this unfinished state as it permits to compare the old roman cathedral vs the new gothic cathedral, showing the huge increase in scale between the twos:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cath%C3%A9drale_...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauvais_Cathedral

Yes, that was done in the days following the fire. But the article seems to put that in doubt, based on a report that I believe was written _prior_ to the incident.