Cross at center of Notre Dame cathedral remains miraculously intact

Smoke rises around the alter in front of the cross inside the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Photos from inside Notre Dameshow the central part of the historic Gothic cathedral still intact.

Rows of wooden pews and much of the nave appears to have been saved, according to the images.

“Only a small part of the vault collapsed. Interior seems relatively untouched. Hallelujah!” wrote @CathedralNotre.

Still, a massive hole can be seen in the 850-year-old cathedral’s roof. The pictures also show smoke emanating from the chancel, the area around the altar.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told Le Monde there was “a big hole in the roof.”

“The altar and its cross are preserved. It’s not as bad as I feared,” she told Le Monde.

There is still a fire between the stone vault and the wood frame, Le Monde reported.