The road to reopening Notre-Dame Cathedral was long and arduous, requiring the tireless efforts of nearly 1,000 workers to be completed within the five-year deadline set by Macron. But the reconstruction was completed in record time, including bringing back its iconic multi-tonne bells.
The cathedral will open its doors on November 7 for the first time since the devastating April 2019 fire left it in tatters.
Read moreNotre-Dame set for further restorations, thanks to generous donations
It has been rebuilt to match the unique 19th-century Gothic construction the world had come to cherish. Its original frame and spire have been renewed, as have its sparkling stained-glass windows and the unique sound of its organs.
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A devastating fire
Clouds of smoke filled the skies of Paris on April 15, 2019, as the Gothic cathedral in the city centre was ravaged by flames. The 93-metre-tall spire collapsed, and a large part of the roof was reduced to ashes. Shortly after, Macron called for the religious landmark to be rebuilt “even more beautifully” within the next five years in an address to the nation.
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Securing the site
The area around Notre-Dame was sealed off the day after the fire to begin the task of rendering the site safe for reconstruction. Safeguard measures included shoring up the 28 flying buttresses, removing the stained-glass windows and sheltering thousands of works of art over two years. The scaffolding that was originally set up to restore the spire when the fire took place had to be removed and the famous Grand Organ had to be dismantled, cleaned and restored. In September 2021, the last step of securing the site consisted of installing wooden braces supported by new scaffolding set up inside the cathedral itself.
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Starting the restoration process
Clean-up operations were put on hold for several weeks when fears of lead contamination around the site arose in the summer of 2019 and then again when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in mid-March the following year.
Read moreHow lead exposure became the Notre-Dame fire’s toxic legacy
Trial restoration efforts were begun in September 2020 in two of the cathedral’s chapels and their adjacent bays.
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Cleaning the cathedral
The inside of Notre-Dame was given a first dusting in early 2022, when a surface area of several thousand square metres was cleaned with high efficiency vacuums equipped with filters to trap lingering lead particles. Walls, murals and stone sculptures were also thoroughly cleaned.
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Archaeological excavations
At the same time, archaeologists began excavating the base of the cathedral. Significant discoveries in the basement provided new insights into Notre-Dame’s history, with treasures dating from antiquity to the 19th century coming to light.
Read moreArchaeological dig at Notre-Dame unearths 2,000 years of history
Immediately after the fire, local archaeologists declared the debris and rubble to be “archaeological remains” –wood, stone and metal from the site are now being studied in an undisclosed location.
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Rebuilding the roof
The framework of the roof, which was entirely destroyed in the fire, was rebuilt to match its original design. Nearly 1,2000 oak trees were felled to recreate what is affectionately known as “the forest” – the rooftop frame that measures 32 metres long, 14 metres wide and 10 metres high. Using the same medieval techniques, carpenters, lumberjacks and woodworkers from across the globe worked tirelessly on the rebuilding.
Read moreForeign artisans rolled up their sleeves to help rebuild France’s Notre-Dame Cathedral
The choir’s frame was completed on January 12 of this year, followed by the nave’s roof on March 8.
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Putting the spire back on the Paris skyline
An emblematic part of the Paris skyline that was entirely destroyed in the fire, Notre-Dame’s spire was first erected in 1859 by French architect Viollet-le-Duc. Scaffolding around the 96-metre-high spire began to come down and the renewed spire was slowly unveiled in February. The solid oak masterpiece is covered by a lead roof and now crowned by a golden rooster symbolising rebirth.
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Ringing the bells back to life
Flames reached the cathedral’s northern belfry. To restore the northern tower, the eight bells housed in this segment of the building had to be carefully removed, cleaned to remove lead dust and restored. Each bell bears the name of someone who has marked the life of the diocese and the Church. The heaviest bell, Gabriel, weighs over four tonnes while the smallest, Jean-Marie, weighs 800 kilos. They rang in unison for the first time since the fire in November this year and included a bell rung by athletes who won at the Paris Olympics earlier this year.
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New furnishings
Reopening Notre-Dame also required refurbishing its interior. Six tonnes of bronze were used to create new furniture designed by Guillaume Bardet, who created the altar, the pulpit, the bishop’s throne, the tabernacle and the baptistry. Some 1,500 new solid oak chairs were designed by Ionna Vautrin.
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The final visit
Macron paid a final visit on November 29 to the Notre-Dame site ahead of the reopening ceremony to salute the 2,000 people who contributed their hard work to the reconstruction effort.
“You have achieved what was thought impossible,” he told them.
This article was translated from the original in French by Lara Bullens.
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