A fire brigade chaplain has been hailed a hero after saving the Blessed Sacrament and Crown of Thorns from the burning cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris on Monday evening.

Fr Jean-Marc Fournier, chaplain to the Paris Fire Brigade, entered the cathedral while the fire was still burning.

Etienne Loraillere, an editor of KTO Catholic television network, said Father Fournier “went with the firefighters into Notre Dame Cathedral to save the Crown of Thorns and the Blessed Sacrament.”

The Daily Mail reports that a source within the emergency services described Fr Fournier as an “absolute hero”.