See the first photos of the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, 5 years after the fire – National
Half a decade after the fire that broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, damaged large parts of the 860-year-old Gothic-style building, the world is getting a look at the difficult efforts to restore the church to bring the church back to life.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site on Friday, followed by dozens of photographers and journalists, carefully taking in the restoration of €700 million (more than C$1 billion).
And what a difference – “This is amazing,” he said as he looked at the polished white stones, reported Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron enters the restored Notre-Dame de Paris, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, Paris.
Stephane de Sakutin / The Associated Press
Macron thanked the nearly 400 firefighters who “saved this cathedral” on April 15, 2019 – the day the world watched in shock as a fire that started on the roof quickly spread, sending flames and smoke high into the sky.
“The Notre Dame fire was a wound to the nation and it was the solution, with your determination, hard work and dedication,” he said, addressing around 1,300 workers who had gathered to welcome Macron and celebrate their success.
An audience including workers for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral gathers during a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron (C) at the cathedral in Paris, November 29, 2024. Notre-Dame Cathedral will be reopened. at the beginning of December 2024, on the scheduled holiday weekend of December 7 and 8, 2024, five years after 2019. the fire that destroyed the world heritage site and destroyed its origin.
Sarah Meyssonnier / APF via Getty Images
The fire destroyed the metal and roof of the church and left heavy smoke and water damage in the main church area of this building.
After the fire was put out that day, Macron promised the public that “we will rebuild the cathedral to be very beautiful, and I want it finished within five years.”
On Friday, Marcon viewed the remodeled ceilings and cream stonework as good as new.
This photo shows the new altar (front) designed by French artist and designer Guillaume Bardet, at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, Paris on November 29, 2024. Notre-Dame Cathedral will reopen in early December 2024, on a scheduled weekend of the celebrations on December 7 and 8, 2024, five years after the 2019 fire that destroyed the world heritage. landmark and fell its tower.
Christophe Petit Tesson / AFP via Getty Images
There are no more holes as the flame burned through the sealed roof, leaving charred debris. New stones were carefully assembled to repair and fill the wounds that had left the interior of the cathedral exposed to the elements. Delicate golden angels peer from the center of the reconstructed roof, appearing to fly again above the transept.
The bright, cream-colored limestone walls of the cathedral look fresh, not only cleaned of dust and harmful chemicals from the fire but also of soil accumulated over the centuries.
Before the restoration work could continue, cleaning crews were needed to remove dangerous toxins and ensure the building was safe enough for the traders to begin their work.
Powerful cleaning equipment was used to first remove the toxic dust that was released when the fire melted the cathedral's lead roof.
A raging fire breaks out as the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral burns on April 15, 2019 in Paris.
Geoffroy van der Hasselt / AFP via Getty Images
Thin layers of latex were then sprayed onto the surface and removed a few days later, removing dirt from stone pores, walls and cracks. In total, 42,000 square meters of stonework was cleaned and disinfected – an area the size of almost six football pitches.
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“It feels like it was built yesterday, like it was just born, even though Notre Dame is very old,” stonemason Adrien Willeme, who worked on the reconstruction, told the Associated Press.
“Because it has been carefully restored and cleaned, it looks really amazing.”
This photo shows the vaulted ceiling of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris, on November 29, 2024.
Sarah Meyssonnier / AFP via Getty Images
Craftsmen from all over the world, masters of their trade respectively, recreated the tools used by the original builders of the almost 900-year-old cathedral to ensure that the reconstruction is exactly the same as what was originally revealed in 1345 when it was opened.
Drag the button to see before and after photos of the altar at Notre Dame Cathedral.
“We're using a mix of 13th-century tools like broad axes or dog walks — to finish all over, we're using chisels and saws, mallets,” American carpenter Hank Silver told NBC News in April.
“Everything is finished by hand so that the result is almost like the Gothic frame that was there.”
Carpenters worked like their medieval counterparts as they carved massive oak beams to rebuild the roof and the circle that collapsed like a flaming spear into a furnace. The beams bear the marks of the carpenters' handiwork, and the beams are made of wood with hand axes.
About 2,000 oak trees were cut down to rebuild the roof, which is so dense and complex that it is called “the forest.”
French President Emmanuel Macron (R), accompanied by the President of the public center “Rebatir Notre-Dame de Paris” Philippe Jost (L) visits the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris, November 29, 2024.
Christophe Petie Tesson / AFP via Getty Images
Scaffolding is still holding up large areas outside Notre Dame, and cranes are assembling the sky around the cathedral.
This aerial photo shows a crane near the scaffolding of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral a few days before its reopening, on November 25, 2024.
Damien Meyer / AFP via Getty Images
Philippe Jost, the mastermind behind the reconstruction, told the Associated Press that the scaffolding at the base of the newly restored wind tower will remain in place until 2025 and for another three years on the east side of the monument.
And while some Parisians have expressed disappointment that the cathedral's exterior doesn't match the new interior, Notre Dame has been a building site for years – even before the fire. Scaffolding was already in place in 2019 with a previous restoration attempt that was not completed due to the April 15 fire.
An opening ceremony – to which celebrities and heads of state have been invited – is scheduled for the evening of December 7, followed by days of special Masses to celebrate the reopening and to thank those who helped save and rebuild the cathedral.
The public will be welcome to come and see the restoration this coming week, with free entry and tickets, before the cathedral returns to its normal schedule of services on December 16.
This photo shows the windows at the heart of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris, on November 29, 2024.
Stephane de Sakutin / AFP via Getty Images
“We are very eager to welcome the whole world under the roof of our cathedral,” said Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich in a message on the cathedral's website, expressing the Church's gratitude to all those who helped save it.
“On the night of April 15, hundreds of thousands of people committed themselves to what seemed impossible: to restore the cathedral and restore its splendor within an unprecedented five-year deadline.”
Ulrich expects Notre Dame will quickly surpass its pre-fire visitor numbers. It caters to 15 million visitors a year.
-via files from the Associated Press and Reuters
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
