Authorities have made the choice to rebuild the 12th-century monument “the way it was before” through a painstaking five-year reconstruction.
A bit of travel-related good news: the reconstruction of the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is “going fast enough” to allow its reopening at the end of 2024, according to Euro News.
This comes less than six years after a fire ravaged the Parisian icon, causing its roof and spire to collapse.
A fire that left a nation ‘aghast’
The Notre-Dame de Paris is arguably the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages. It is known for its massive size, antiquity, and for being an architectural feat.
The cathedral was initiated by Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris, around 1160. The foundation stone was laid by Pope Alexander III in 1163, and the high altar was blessed in 1189. The choir, the western façade, and the nave were completed by 1250. Porches, chapels, and other embellishments were added over the next 100 years.
In the early evening of April 15, 2019, a fire ravaged the top of the cathedral while it was undergoing renovations. According to a report by the Associated Press, as the fire razed the architectural treasure, “locals and tourists watched aghast from the streets.”
French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the cathedral which he called a part of their national identity.
More than just an architectural marvel, Notre Dame Cathedral is home to age-old relics, mesmerizing stained glass and other works of art. It is also a leading tourist attraction, immortalized by Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
A painstaking five-year reconstruction
Authorities have made the choice to rebuild the 12th century monument “the way it was before.” That includes recreating the 93-meter-high (315 ft) spire added in the 19th century by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc.
The pandemic delayed work at the cathedral. It was only in June 2020 when the removal of the charred scaffolding that had encased the spire was completed.
In August 2020, efforts to restore the cathedral’s organ commenced. France’s largest musical instrument, the 8,000-pipe organ survived the fire, but wasn’t unscathed as it was left coated in toxic lead dust.
Actual reconstruction started in Spring 2022, after more than two years of work to make the monument stable and secure enough for artisans to start rebuilding it.
The restoration process commenced with workshops of master glassmakers and locksmiths from across France for the laborious process of cleaning and restoring the cathedral’s famed stained glass windows. Germany’s Cologne Cathedral also sent in experts to restore four windows.
General Jean-Louis Georgelin, the French army general who had been appointed to oversee the restoration, once said that everyday in Paris and across France, about 1,000 people work to rebuild Notre Dame.
In July 2023, a breathtaking milestone in the reconstruction of the cathedral took place: the hoisting of massive oak trusses. Witnesses said it was a “magical moment.”
Some terrible news happened the following month with the sudden death of Georgelin. Macron hailed him as the “greatest soldier” dedicated to restoring Notre Dame “stone by stone.”
Georgelin died while hiking in the Pyrenees, with Macron saying in a statement that he died in the mountains, reflecting “a life always turned toward the summits.”
In December 2023, a new golden rooster, reimagined as a phoenix with licking, flamed feathers, was returned to the top of the cathedral’s spire, symbolizing Notre Dame’s rebirth and resilience.
Religious relics, including pieces of what is said to be Jesus Christ’s Crown of Thorns, were placed in a time capsule inside the golden bird. Restoration officials also revealed that an anti-fire misting system is being kitted out under the cathedral’s roof.
In February 2024, scaffolding was removed to unveil the cathedral’s new spire, adorned with the golden rooster and a cross. Many Parisians see this as a sign of hope.
A global project
The rebuilding of the cathedral goes beyond the French government’s efforts as people around the world have pledged more than USD1 billion to rebuild Notre Dame.
Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak told the Associated Press that this doesn’t mean all the renovation will be finished by December 2024. “There will still be some renovation work going on in 2025,” she clarified.
Philippe Jost, managing director of the government agency overseeing the reconstruction, said that the completed cathedral “will be faithful to the original architecture” both because “we are sticking to the vanished shapes of the cathedral” and because ”we are also sticking to the materials and construction methods” of medieval times.
“We don’t do concrete vaults that look like stone, we do stone vaults that we rebuild as they were built in the Middle Ages,” he added, sharing that the roof framework will also be made from oak like it initially was.
