With the flames extinguished, the smoke clear and a new sun risen over Paris, the French got a heartening confirmation on Tuesday: The Cathedral of Notre-Dame still stands.

It is scorched, battered and missing its spire and much of its roof, but the 800-year-old Gothic masterwork that symbolized both a place and a culture is a monument to be repaired, not mourned.

Indeed, even as firefighters scoured the ashes and debris for any lingering embers, and investigators worked to determine the cause of the blaze, the French authorities were putting in motion an international fund-raising drive to reconstruct the landmark.