Alongside thousands of Parisians, expat Aussie journalist Oliver Gee looked on with horror as the historic cathedral of Notre Dame burned in a huge fire in April this year.
Over the past eight months, some of France's biggest companies and wealthiest people have pledged millions of dollars to a fund set up to rebuild, repair and restore the building to its former glory.
So why is the cathedral so important to the French people? And aren't there better ways that this enormous pot of money could be spent?
Oliver Gee has lived in Paris for the past five years. His popular podcast, The Earful Tower is an audio travel guide to life in the French capital. He's also releasing a book called Paris On Air.