Behind the scenes of the restoration of Notre Dame 3:05
(CNN) -
Notre Dame Cathedral is on track to reopen to the public in 2024. The cathedral structure was fully secured two years after the disastrous fire that destroyed much of the 850-year-old building.
In a statement released on Saturday, the public body responsible for its conservation and restoration said that the protection of the cathedral had been completed on time.
Elements of the "security phase" included wrapping and protecting the cathedral's gargoyles, reinforcing the flying buttresses, fortifying the gables and removing burned scaffolding, according to the Friends of Notre Dame de Paris collective.
"That means we are officially saying that the cathedral is now saved, that it is solid in its pillars, that its walls are solid," Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, president of the organization responsible for the restoration told the affiliate of CNN, BFMTV.
"We will be able to firmly move forward with the restoration and reconstruction phase of the parts destroyed by the fire so that it is ready to reopen for services and public visits in 2024," he added.
A lit cigarette or a power failure could have caused the Notre Dame fire
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Smoke inside Notre Dame Cathedral on April 16 after the fire (Credit: PHILIPPE WOJAZER / AFP / Getty Images)
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After the April 15 fire, candles were still lit inside Notre Dame Cathedral, as this photo obtained by CNN shows.
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The fire left debris on the floor of the cathedral, as this photo obtained by CNN shows.
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On the night of April 15, the fire could be seen on the roof of the cathedral (Credit: PHILIPPE WOJAZER / AFP / Getty Images)
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Firefighters work in a window in the northern part of the cathedral (Credit: ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI / AFP / Getty Images)
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Firefighters work on the facade of Notre Dame on April 16 (Credit: ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI / AFP / Getty Images)
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Pedestrians look at the work of firefighters after the fire is controlled on April 16 (Credit: ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI / AFP / Getty Images)
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On Tuesday morning the extent of the destruction could be seen.
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The consequences are evident on the cathedral ceiling (Credit: CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON / AFP / Getty Images)
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This image shows the interior of the cathedral (Credit: LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP / Getty Images)
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The interior of the church seen from the entrance (Credit: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)
The 2024 reopening, which Georgelin said would be a "victory for all of France," will fulfill President Emmanuel Macron's promise to the public that reconstruction works would be completed within five years of the April 2019 fire.
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Reconstruction is scheduled to begin in the coming months, according to the organization responsible for overseeing the works.
The ultimate cause of the fire has yet to be established despite an extensive investigation, although prosecutors said it may have been caused by a cigarette or an electrical failure.
Work to secure the cathedral was temporarily halted last year during the coronavirus pandemic and work to decontaminate the lead area was carried out before works resumed in June 2020.
After the fire, there was a debate on how it should be rebuilt, with former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe suggesting a modern approach and a competition was launched to redesign the tower, although others wanted it to remain traditional.
However, last year, President Macron decided that the entire cathedral would be rebuilt exactly as it was, including the tower, which was originally made of wood and fell into flames in the first hours of the fire.
"We will rebuild Notre Dame, because that is what the French expect," Macron visibly excited told reporters at the scene of the fire in 2019. "Because that is what our story is worthy of. Because that is our profound destiny."
This is what the majestic Notre Dame Cathedral now looks like after the fire 3:15
Notre Dame
