Golden altar cross at Notre Dame remains intact and glowing despite being at the heart of the inferno

The cross appeared to emit a warm glow as it hung over an altar, surrounded by blackened walls and floors.

UPDATED MAR 16, 2020

The devastating blaze at the Notre Dame Cathedral consumed everything in its way, except a golden cross hanging atop the altar in the church.

Grim scenes of blackened walls and floors inside the medieval Catholic cathedral flooded the internet yesterday, with burnt remains of pews stacked up in front of the altar, Mirror reports.

However, the cross above the altar had miraculously remained firmly in place, rescuers saw as the smoke cleared. The fire that ripped through one of the world's most iconic landmarks had left the cross untouched.

In this handout image provided by Brigade de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris, firefighters battle the blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019 in Paris, France. A fire broke out on Monday afternoon and quickly spread across the building, collapsing the spire. The cause is yet unknown but officials said it was possibly linked to ongoing renovation work. (Photo by Benoît Moser/BSPP via Getty Images)

The raging flames, aside from pulverizing the cathedral's roof, also engulfed the main spire, which eventually crumbled and fell to the floor. The image of the holy trinity — the father, the son, and the holy spirit — appeared to be emitting a warm glow after it was the only structure illuminated by sunlight.

Quite a few social media users expressed their thrill upon witnessing the intact cross.

"After all the aftermath and destruction of the Notre Dame fire, the altar cross remained untouched," Kaylee Crain said. "Please explain to me how you don't believe in God after seeing this."

Matt Williams said, "Incredible picture in the aftermath of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire with the cross still intact."

While Baylor Cook said, "In the midst of fire and destruction at Notre Dame, the cross still stands. That's beautiful, that's poetic, that's God."

People watch as smoke and flames rise from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019, in Paris, France. (Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images)

Throngs of stunned tourists and Parisians stood by the River Seine as they watched the blaze take hold last night, offering prayers and singing Ave Maria. Witnesses were heartbroken after seeing the smoke rise around the altar, and between the stone vault and the wooden frame. Photos show that only a part of the vault had collapsed in the inferno.

Nonetheless, the untouched holy cross instilled hope in people that all was not lost.

"It's still terrible, but this photo actually gives me hope that his much history may not be as lost as it seemed," one commented.

Another wrote, "If the vault is still mostly intact, it will be the best news I've had all day."