PARIS - Five years after a 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, the cathedral’s roof burst into flames. Soon, it had engulfed the spire and almost toppled the main bell towers. Around the world, TV viewers watched with horror as the mediaeval building burned.
French President Emmanuel Macron, whose second and final term ends in 2027, wants the restoration of the cathedral to lift the nation’s mood — and his government’s approval ratings.
“Only once in a century does one host Olympic and Paralympic Games, only once in a millennium does one rebuild a cathedral,” he said in his 2024 New Year speech.
It remains unclear what exactly caused the fire. French authorities have said an electrical fault or a burning cigarette may have been responsible.
“A firefighter told me ‘Sir, take a close look at the facade because if we don’t manage to put out that fire, it will all go to ruin’,” recalled Laurence Alsina, who owns a bookselling stand close to the cathedral on the banks of the River Seine.
The facade held, but the damage has needed five years of intensive stabilisation and restoration work.
The pride of those working on the project shines through.
“This is the construction work of a lifetime, because restoring an entire monument in all its three-dimensionality, that’s quite exceptional,” said Emma Roux, an artisan working on the iconic stained glass windows.
The reopening is scheduled for December, and work is currently running on schedule, according to the official leading the project.
“We are on time and on budget,” Philippe Jost said last month.
Jost told lawmakers that the project had so far cost 550 million euros, funded in part by massive donations, including from luxury goods billionaires Francois Henri Pinault and the Arnault family. So much money has been donated that there will even be funds left over for further investment in the building, he said.
“An additional 150 million euros should be made available and — provided the approval of our sponsors — it will be used to restore the cathedral and tackle problems that predate the fire, which mainly concern the exterior stonework,” Jost added.
Jost, 63, a trained engineer who spent much of his career in the defence ministry, took over the job after his predecessor, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, died in a hiking accident in August last year.
Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on April 15, 2019 (Reuters File Photo)