Five years after a devastating fire ripped through Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral, the iconic Gothic church is set to reopen. In late 2024, visitors will once again be able to enjoy this monument after an $865 million reconstruction project.
After initial delays due to COVID-19, the project is now quickly moving forward. Over the course of this year, the cathedral's spire will reclaim its place in the city's skyline, symbolizing the rebirth of the church. It's a welcome sign of progress after two years spent stabilizing the structure and securing enough artisans to work on this large undertaking.
While there was hope that Notre Dame would be open in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics (which Paris is hosting), it will take a bit longer for visitors to be able to walk through its doors. The opening is set for December 2024, which was President Emmanuel Macron's initial goal right after the fire.
“My job is to be ready to open this cathedral in 2024. And we will do it,” shared Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, the army general in charge of the project. “We are fighting every day for that and we are on a good path.”
Given the extent of the damages, the reconstruction is quite complex. The incident, which took place in April 2019, began when a short circuit caused an electrical fire. There was extensive damage to the Medieval building’s lead and oak roof, a large portion of the cathedral’s wooden rib-vaulted ceiling, some stained glass windows, and, most dramatically, the building’s 750-ton spire.
Now, about 1,000 workers clock in each day to work on repairing the damage and restoring Notre Dame to its former glory. This means not just using the shapes and forms of the architecture, but also employing Medieval construction methods. The roof will be oak, as it once was, and the vaults are being created with stone, as they once were.
With so much to do, work won't be fully completed by December 2024. While the monument will open its doors at that time, authorities don't expect the renovation to be fully completed until 2025.
In the meantime, visitors can see everything that goes into reviving the church in a new exhibition at a gallery close to the cathedral. Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site tells the story of the renovation and spotlights the skills of the artisans who are working to restore it to its former glory.
h/t: [Associated Press]
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