Notre-Dame’s restoration near completion, 5 years after devastating fire
On the evening of April 15, 2019, flames began rising from the roof of the cathedral.
Five years after the devastating fire, the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral is nearing completion as the world’s eyes turn to Paris for the Olympic Games.
On the evening of April 15, 2019, flames began rising from the roof of the cathedral. Soon, it engulfed the spire and almost brought down the main clock towers. Around the world, TV viewers watched with horror as the medieval building burned.
Macron, whose second and final term ends in 2027, wants the cathedral’s restoration to improve the nation’s mood and his government’s approval ratings.
“Only once in a century does one host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, only once in a millennium does one rebuild a cathedral,” Macron said in his 2024 New Year speech.
It is unclear what exactly caused the fire. French authorities have said that an electrical fault or a burning cigarette may have been responsible.
Patrick Chauvet, former chief priest of Notre-Dame, recalled, “A firefighter said to me, ‘Sir, look carefully at the front because if we don’t manage to put out that fire, it’s all ruined. Will be done’.”
The facade remained intact, but the damage required five years of intensive stabilization and restoration works.
The pride of those working on the project shines.
“This is the work of a lifetime, because restoring an entire monument in its three-dimensionality is quite extraordinary,” said Emma Roux, the artisan who worked on the iconic stained glass windows.
The reopening is scheduled for December, according to the official leading the project, and is currently running on schedule.
“We are on time and on budget,” Philip Jost said at a Senate hearing last month.
Jost told lawmakers the project has cost 550 million euros ($587 million) so far, largely funded by donations, including from luxury sector billionaire Francois Henri Pinault and the Arnault family. So much money has been donated, he said, that there will be no money left for further investment in the building.
Jost said, “An additional 150 million euros should be made available and – provided our sponsors approve – it will be used to restore the cathedral and deal with problems that existed before the fire, mainly the exterior stonework. Are related to.”
Jost, 63, a trained engineer who spent most of his career at the Defense Ministry, took over the post after his predecessor, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, died in a hiking accident in August 2023.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)