famous church where $6.8 million in renovations were being completed — and billowing smoke was seen from miles away in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said that thanks to those responding to the fire, many of the precious artifacts inside the cathedral, including a relic believed to be worn by Jesus Christ which was stored in the collapsed spire, had been saved.

“The crown of thorns, the tunic of Saint Louis and several other major works are now in a safe place,” Hidalgo said in French on Twitter.

France’s Minister of Culture Franck Riester posted photos of French authorities loading art and other historic pieces into a truck social media.

“They are gradually being put into safety,” Riester said.

Michel Picaud, from the Friends of Notre Dame organization responsible for thedoing that.”

Construction of Notre Dame began in 1163 under the reign of King Louis VII, and the first stone was laid in the presence of Pope Alexander III.

The landmark was not considered complete until nearly 200 years later, however, with the installation of flying buttresses and a stone fence surrounding the choir and the sanctuary, according to the website for Notre Dame de Paris.

The Associated Press reported that $19 million was set aside in 1991 for a restoration project to replace loose stones on the cathedral.

Nine bronze bells were made in 2013, the church’s 850th anniversary, in order to replace deteriorating artifacts.

Sixteen copper statues were removed from the spire on Friday as part of a restoration effort that was estimated to cost more than $900,000, Agence France Presse