Exactly four years ago, a huge fire broke out in the famous Notre-Dame in Paris. The fire destroyed large parts of the cathedral. The French were determined to restore the church to its original state. So it goes with the restoration.
On April 15, 2019, a major fire broke out at Notre-Dame around 7 p.m. In fifteen hours a large part of the cathedral was destroyed. The two stone towers remained standing, but the spire collapsed. Two-thirds of the roof was also destroyed.
Many woodwork in the church and works of art did not survive the fire. But the stained glass windows and the well-known organ were spared.
Parisians and tourists watched as the church went up in flames. The fire brigade could only save parts and the call for reconstruction was loud. In total, French donors raised at least 850 million euros. In addition, a lot of help came from other countries, including Germany.
In 2019, the government stated that the restoration of Notre-Dame should be completed in five years. That is going according to plan. The cathedral is expected to reopen to the public in December 2024.
Two thousand oak trees felled for the roof
The restoration is now in full swing. It is estimated that about a thousand people from all over France work on the restoration process every day.
The church had to be restored to its original state. That is why two thousand oak trees were felled for the reconstruction of the roof. They are processed into beams with special axes. This month the spire will be rebuilt to its original shape.
Most of the vaults and the walls of the building have remained stable. But many stones are destroyed and need to be replaced. The same type of sandstone is used for this from quarries around Paris.
Charred pieces of the church are on display at the Architecture Museum in the French capital.
In Germany, work was being done on the repair of four large stained-glass windows that were heavily damaged during the fire. These have since been repaired and are on their way to Paris. The windows are expected to be installed at the end of July.
Church returns in its old form, but still unrecognizable
The actual restoration could only start last year, because the location first had to be cleaned. The fire left a layer of soot, ash and lead everywhere. In addition, Notre-Dame had to be secured as a construction site. At least two hundred companies were involved in this work.
The fire was therefore an opportunity to completely clean and restore the cathedral. That would probably never have happened without the fire, due to a lack of money and time.
Although the church is being restored as much as possible in the old style, many people will hardly recognize the church when it reopens. Much more light will then enter, because the windows have been cleaned. The walls have also been cleaned of soot and dirt that has accumulated for centuries.
Special construction method discovered during restoration
There is also a bright spot in the restoration work of the cathedral. Researchers were given the opportunity to study the construction methods of the past. Notre-Dame was built between 1163 and 1345 and, at 35 meters, was particularly high for that time.
The researchers discovered that the stones are held together with so-called staples. Those are kind of huge staples. This makes the church possibly the oldest church building in which this method was used.
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