The colors of France washed over San Francisco International Airport and San Francisco City Hall Monday evening as the city by the bay shared sympathy with Paris — one of its sister cities — following the devastating blaze at the historic Notre Dame Cathedral.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed took to Twitter Monday night to share a photo of city hall lit up in French blue, white and red.
"Tonight we light San Francisco's City Hall in solidarity with Mayor @Anne_Hidalgo and all Parisians," Breed tweeted.
San Francisco's connection with Paris runs deep. In addition to the sister city link, San Francisco's Grace Cathedral is itself a sister cathedral to Notre Dame, and its own architecture was inspired by the landmark in Paris.
The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Young, dean of Grace Cathedral, tweeted that the church community will continue its prayers for Notre Dame and Parisians during a service Wednesday evening.
Footage showing flames devour Notre Dame Cathedral's spire and roof shocked people across the world, including those who first faced the news when they arrived in San Francisco from Paris Monday night.
"It's so sad," Emily Agur said. "That's unbelievable. We were just there two days ago."
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A former Stanford University religious studies professor and medieval historian said the cathedral was the heart of Paris during the Middle Ages.
"To see this devastation, it's just heart-rending," Hester Gelber, Ph.D., said.
NBC Bay Area's Thom Jensen contributed to this report.
