Notre-Dame Cathedral Restoration Complete: Rising from the Ashes in Five Years

• Frank Renout

  France correspondent

1,000 oak trees had to be cut down to completely rebuild the spire alone. The stones, the wood, the glass and the lead: it was worked, supplied and tailor-made by around 1000 craftsmen from 250 companies from all over France, from sculptors to carpenters and from blacksmiths to coppersmiths. And then the large organ: the 8,000 pipes are currently being cleaned and patched up where necessary so that they can soon reverberate as usual.

Five years after the devastating fire, Notre-Dame in Paris is visibly rising from its ashes. The reconstruction and renovation are almost complete.

On April 15, 2019, flames sprang from the world-famous cathedral all evening. Television viewers around the world watched live as the immense spire collapsed. Shortly afterwards, President Macron visited the church and promised: we will completely rebuild Notre-Dame in five years. There was ridicule and criticism. But the promise has been fulfilled.

Looking back: Notre Dame is on fire:

The spire has been largely rebuilt and reaches a height of 96 meters again. Scaffolding and scaffolding are being removed little by little. In eight months, on December 8, the doors will open to the public again.

It is a miracle, some say: construction of the cathedral began in the year 1163 and took no less than 200 years. And now the church building has been restored to its former glory in just five years.

“Of course, Notre-Dame did not burn down completely. Part of the roof, the vaults and the woodwork had to be rebuilt. The stone walls were almost entirely left standing. So it was doable within five years,” says architectural historian Mathieu Lours. He is affiliated with the University of Cergy-Pontoise and is considered one of the specialists in France when it comes to the construction of churches and cathedrals.

“What helped enormously is that Macron mentioned that five-year deadline. That put the renovation under time pressure and also ensured that some logistical matters could be arranged quickly, because the president wanted it that way. And not unimportant: there was enough money. “

Immediately after the fire, donations poured in. The counter now stands at 846 million euros in donations, from 340,000 individuals and institutions from 150 countries. That is more than sufficient. The cost of rebuilding Notre-Dame is estimated at around 700 million euros. Any money left over will “stay at Notre Dame,” insiders say. It can be used for additional construction work.

One of the innovations in Notre-Dame is the extensive new fire installation. Justice still does not know exactly what caused the fire five years ago, a short circuit, a burning cigarette butt: anything is possible, but a recurrence must be prevented in any case.

Sprinkler systems are installed from front to back under the new wooden roof. Modern smoke and fire detectors and thermal cameras have been installed and two fire-resistant walls are being built to prevent the fire from spreading.

Air quality is also measured 24 hours a day using special installations. If smoke or fire occurs anywhere, a water mist is immediately and automatically dispersed. “This so-called water mist ensures that the temperature drops from 500 to 600 degrees to 100 degrees in one minute, without too much water getting onto the vaults. This means that the monument is damaged as little as possible by fire-fighting water,” says Marc Metzinger of Alternet , one of the companies that developed the system.

As an enthusiast and specialist, historian Mathieu Lours has more admiration for the craftsmanship with which the cathedral itself was rebuilt. “What makes this renovation so special is that all wooden structures for the roof and spire have been rebuilt exactly as they were centuries ago. Not only does it look like it was, but the materials used are exactly the same as they were back then. I like that. The Notre-Dame that stands now is the cathedral that disappeared due to the fire and it is a cathedral that has been rebuilt with the knowledge and craftsmanship of the 21st century.”