2023-12-24 14:48:00
(CNN) — The spire of Notre Dame, topped by a new golden rooster, regained its place on the Paris skyline in mid-December 2023.
While tourists and Parisians gathered in front of the cathedral, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, to admire the return of one of its most emblematic elements (for now, still with scaffolding), the works on Notre Dame continued in full swing. Nearly 500 artisans are busy with reconstruction efforts, working to ensure the Parisian monument is ready for its grand reopening to the public in 2024.
“It’s fascinating to see something of such historical value being restored,” said Stephan Book, a tourist visiting Paris from Sweden with his daughter and 80-year-old father. “And the ambition to do it all in five years,” he added, “is like when Kennedy said we (humans) would go to the moon.”
On a recent visit to the construction site, President Emmanuel Macron promised that work was “on schedule” so that Notre Dame would open to the public on December 8, 2024, five years and seven months following the fire that destroyed much of it. of the 860-year-old building in April 2019.
“By the time the Olympics roll around (in July), we hope to have removed the scaffolding from the top of the spire and completed most of the roof, so Parisians and visitors from around the world can see how close we are to reopening.” , Philippe Jost, of Rebuilding Notre Dame de Paris (the public body responsible for the conservation and restoration of the cathedral), told the French parliament on December 13.
Those who admire the Gothic structure from the outside are already excited at the prospect of being able to re-enter the cathedral.
“The first time I came to Paris was 60 years ago, then 40 years ago,” said Stephan’s father, Göran Book, who remembers entering Notre Dame on each of his previous visits to Paris. “I am now 80 years old,” he added. “If I’m still alive next year, I’ll have to come back to see the reopening.”
A monumental effort
According to Rebuilding Notre Dame de Paris, there are nearly 250 art companies and workshops across France tasked with “working on the cathedral’s revival.” Among them are carpenters, stonemasons, scaffolders, sculptors, gilders, glaziers and even organ builders, who are restoring the 8,000 pipes and 115 registers of the great organ of Notre Dame, the largest in France.
After the 2019 fire, the first two years of work were spent securing the building, completing project studies and awarding tenders. The restoration phase officially began in September 2021.
In recent months, the most visible progress has been made in the restoration of the roof framework, the spire and the large upper galleries.
Alban Dubois, who works as a waiter at Café Panis, right across from Notre Dame, has been watching the daily progress from the windows of his workplace.
He was there, waiting tables, on the day of the infamous fire, and remembers watching in shock as the flames grew and the windows of his restaurant became progressively hotter. “People gathered (at the restaurant) and watched helplessly,” he said. “Some people were crying… It was all very sad.”
Now, Dubois is looking forward to the cathedral’s reopening and predicts that many people will stop by to visit. “Even though (Notre Dame) has been here for so many years, it will be a little bit like an inauguration,” he said.
According to Jost, 14 million visitors are expected to “float to see the results of the restoration.”
Marking the 21st century
While the original appearance of Notre Dame will be restored, President Macron has also expressed the desire that our century “have its place among the many others that figure in the works of this cathedral.”
Earlier this month, he announced a competition to allow contemporary artists to recreate six of the stained glass windows on the south side of Notre Dame, in order to “mark this 21st century.”
Similarly, the name of the French general who had been overseeing the reconstruction of Notre Dame before his death in a mountain accident earlier this year, was carved into the wood of the spire. Jean-Louis Georgelin “will forever remain” a part of Notre Dame, said Macron, who personally participated in the engraving process on Dec. 8, the day the cathedral’s oak spire was restored to its place.
The names of other people who participated in the reconstruction of Notre Dame have also become a permanent feature of the new cathedral. A sealed tube was placed inside the golden rooster mounted atop the spire on December 16, containing a document listing the 2,000 names of those involved in the works.
The old rooster on the cathedral tower was found, damaged in the rubble, the day following the fire. Inside were the relics (mortal remains) of Saint Denis and Saint Genevieve, as well as a fragment of Christ’s crown of thorns, which remained intact and has now been placed inside the new rooster, according to the Diocese of Paris.
The old rooster, along with the six stained glass windows that will be replaced, will be housed in a new museum dedicated to Notre Dame, the opening of which was recently announced by Macron. “It will be an art museum, a history museum, a museum to describe the permanent construction site of Notre Dame de Paris,” he said.
The cost of rebuilding Notre Dame is expected to be approximately 700 million euros ($767 million). In total, 846 million euros ($928 million) in donations were raised from 340,000 donors in 150 countries, according to Rebuilding Notre Dame de Paris.
Jost has said that any donated money not spent on reconstruction will likely be used to “benefit the cathedral” in other ways.
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