French President Emmanuel Macron visited Notre-Dame de Paris on December 8 and announced that restoration plans were scheduled to reopen the cathedral to worshipers and tourists on the same date next year.
“The deadlines will be met. It is a formidable image of hope and of a France that has rebuilt itself,” said Macron. The partial reopening will come more than five years after a fire destroyed the nave, choir, transept and iconic tower of the cathedral.
Macron visited the restored tower, which is in the final stages of installation. In 2020, the French president announced that the tower should be rebuilt as an exact replica of the previous one: an eight-sided structure decorated with gargoyles, bay arches and quatrefoils.
The previous tower was created by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century, after removing the damaged original 13th-century tower in the 18th century. The new spire was completed in a workshop in Lorraine and is made up of around 1000 pieces of wood, requiring 600 tons of scaffolding for its installation.
A new Notre-Dame museum was also announced, which will document the history of the Cathedral, including the processes it went through as part of its reconstruction. Macron also said he plans to invite contemporary artists to design six new stained glass windows for the south side of the cathedral.
The date of December 2024 does not mark the end of all reforms. The restorations - which will cost 846 million euros ($865 million) - are expected to continue until 2028. In 2020, General Georgelin, who was responsible for the reconstruction until his death in August, said the cathedral would reopen in April 2024 on time. of Paris to host the 33rd Olympic Games in the summer.
The fire broke out in the eaves of Notre-Dame on April 15, 2019. The first fire alarm went off at 6:30 p.m. The fire lasted until the next morning, when it was controlled by a team of 400 firefighters. No artwork or stained glass was damaged by the fire except the Touret altar, and the main structure of the building did not collapse. The first two years after the fire were spent securing the building before restorations could begin in earnest.
Restoration projects for the cathedral had been underway since 2017 to strengthen the building following damage caused by weather and time. The Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris charity began a $135 million campaign and, after the fire, raised $10.6 million from international donors that included high-profile figures such as Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Jeff Bezos.
Next year, the furniture, including statues, artwork and the organ, will be brought back to the cathedral after the roof waterproofing is completed. In his remarks, Macron mentioned that he hopes Pope Francis will be present when the cathedral reopens.
Source: Artnet News