Watch the emotional moment Parisians sing 'Ave Maria' in honour of the Notre Dame Cathedral

As Notre Dame burned earlier this week, Parisians gathered for an extremely emotional moment outside the cathedral.

While the firefighters rushed to try to contain the blaze, locals paid tribute to the great cathedral by singing a beautiful rendition of 'Ave Maria'.

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Many Parisians, who grew up with the gothic structure towering over the river, burst into tears and hugged each other as the church succumbed to flames and billowing clouds of smoke.

After a nine-hour battle with the blaze, firefighters managed to extinguish it, saving parts of the outer structure, along with the building's two main towers and several precious works of art inside.