Francois Pinault and his son Francois-Henri Pinault have officially donated € 100 million to the restoration of the notoriously damaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the Associated Press reported.
Tuesday’s donation follows months of delays that left French officials largely reliant on small charity donations to fund the first phase of repairs, following the devastating fire on April 15.
Everyone gives what they can to help, but big donors give us a chance to get together, breathing room, Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit said .
Francois Pinault, whose international luxury goods company group Kering owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, promised the money immediately after the fire.
His competitor, French billionaire Bernard Arnault Chief Executive of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, quickly followed suit and promised € 200 million donation. Arnault finalized the donation agreement with Notre Dame last week.