Church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs in Paris, which arsonists set fire to the day after an electrical fire damaged the church. / Credit: Julien Jean Zayatz/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 28, 2025 / 18:54 pm (CNA).

Notre Dame des Champs, an iconic Catholic church in the Parisian neighborhood of Montparnasse, was targeted in an arson attack just 24 hours after an accidental fire broke out in its choir loft. 

The cause of the first fire, which broke out on the morning of July 23, has been attributed to a failed electrical circuit that resulted in the destruction of the church’s sound system and choir organ, according to a Le Figaro report. 

The next day, in a side chapel dedicated to St. Joseph, vandals set fire to wood panels. A recently renovated canvas located above the wood panels sustained significant damage. A statue of St. Joseph fell and broke while firefighters put out the flames, according to a report from the Tablet, which said there have been “50 fires or attempted arson cases” in French churches in the past year, compared with 38 in 2023. 

No one was reported injured in either incident. 

“This second fire caused even more damage,” Father Camille Millour, the pastor, wrote in a July 25 statement on the parish website following the second incident, which occurred on the afternoon of July 24. Millour noted that an investigation is ongoing and thanked first responders for their efforts.

The pastor noted that he had jointly filed a joint police complaint with the City of Paris and that the archbishop of Paris had expressed his support for the parish community amid the ordeal. 

“For reasons of the investigation and rehabilitation of the building, our church will remain closed for an indefinite period,” Millour stated.

Jean-Pierre Lecoq, mayor of the sixth arrondissement in Paris, where the church is located, expressed concern that the church suffered two fires in 48 hours, writing in a post on X: “Second fire in less than 24 hours at Notre-Dame-des-Champs church! The investigation will determine the causes, as the occurrence of these two incidents in such a short time raises legitimate questions. In any case, the building must be secured urgently.”

In a post the morning after the first fire, but before the second, the mayor noted that he had requested an audit of the electrical networks and security system due to the failure of the fire alarm system.

Millour stated that in wake of the fire, the campaign to replace the church’s lights are now “essential,” not only for aesthetic purposes but also safety amid electrical concerns. The church had been planning to install new lights ahead of its 150th anniversary next year.