Billionaire Arnault's family and LVMH to donate 200 million euros for Paris' Notre-Dame

LVMH luxury group Chief Executive Bernard Arnault (L) and his son Frederic Arnault attend the funeral ceremony of late French industrialist Serge Dassault at the Cathedral Saint-Louis of the Invalides in Paris, France, June 1, 2018. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - French billionaire businessman Bernard Arnault's family and his LVMH luxury goods group will donate 200 million euros ($226 million) to help repair Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral, said a statement issued on behalf of Arnault.

"The Arnault family and the LVMH group would like to show their solidarity ata this time of national tragedy, and are joining up to help rebuild this extraordinary cathedral, which is a symbol of France, of its heritage and of French unity," said the statement.

Arnault's pledge follows a similar 100 million euros donation for Notre-Dame from Francois Henri Pinault, who heads the Kering luxury goods company.

($1 = 0.8847 euros)

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; editing by Richard Lough)