Exactly three years ago, a major fire devastated the NotreDame Cathedral in the heart of Paris. The flames reached the roof, part of the vault, the clock and above all the magnificent “Arrow” signed by ViolletleDuc and that made up the monument. Since then, a gigantic reconstruction project has been launched. The phase of restoring the security of the building alone would take two years, whereas the restoration phase only started a year ago.
Three years later, the causes of the incident are unknown. Given the extent of the damage caused by the fire, it is highly likely that it will never be discovered, leaving the cause of the accident official. Opening the area to investigators proved to be the first challenge, and the following year’s health crisis and the collection of testimony from more than a hundred witnesses made the task even more difficult.
The cathedral, which is under reconstruction, received a visit from President Emmanuel Macron this Friday (15th) to mark the third anniversary of the impressive fire that devastated one of the most visited monuments in France and the world. The appointment is also an opportunity to take stock of the work’s progress.
“Today the restoration phase of the cathedral is fully implemented. Three preparatory works for the restoration are being carried out on the site in Paris, which will be completed in the coming weeks. , the desalination of the vaults the salt from the fire brigade water entered the vaults and then cleaning the technical networks,” he explained RFI Jérémie Patrier Leitus, Communications Director of the public body in charge of the restoration of the monument.
Restoration work is also progressing in specialist workshops across France. “We saw the thousand oak trees that will be used to rebuild the ViolletleDuc arrow at 45 sawmills across the country. Three organ builders in the south are restoring the cathedral’s great organ and we are extracting from it the thousand cubic meters of stone that will be used to rebuild the cathedral’s vaults, side walls and interior stone restorations,” explained Leitus, highlighting the commitment of all teams to ensure that the calendar is observed and that the reopening of the cathedral in 2024 is made possible.
shrouded in secrets
However, new mysteries are added to the challenge of reconstruction, such as the discovery of a lead sarcophagus that will soon be opened in the premises of the Forensic Institute in Toulouse. Discovered in March during archaeological excavations prior to reconstruction work, the object was buried 20 meters deep and is in good condition.
The budget for the works is estimated at approximately 7 million (R$ 35 million) for the interior of the cathedral liturgical furnishings, furniture, objects and will be funded by the diocese. The restoration of the building depends on the donors who subsidize the site.
To date, €844 million (R$4.2 billion) has been raised from 340,000 donations from employees in 150 countries. However, this may not be enough to cover all of the cathedral’s renovations, and in particular the basreliefs on the north and south facades of the building.
At the end of the morning, the rector of the cathedral, administrator of the diocese Georges Pontier, a singer and a minister gathered in the nave of NotreDame, suspended from scaffolding, to offer a moment of “prayer for the victims of the wars”. , the pandemic, of violence and hatred,” declared Archbishop Chauvet, rector of NotreDame. And for the first time since the fire, a meditation was offered to the faithful in the courtyard in front of the cathedral.
(By Lucie Bouteloup of RFI)