More than ever, its restored spire triumphs in the Paris sky.
Centimeter by centimeter, the work of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc destroyed in the terrible fire of April 15, 2019 which ravaged the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is revealed from its scaffolding and finds the fresh air of the capital.
Nine months before the reopening of the building scheduled for the beginning of next December, the work is progressing on schedule.
The “deadlines and budget” for the titanic reconstruction project have been met, Philippe Jost assured this Wednesday.
At the head of the public establishment which is responsible for it, he was questioned this Wednesday morning on the results of this “extraordinary project” by the Senate Culture Committee.
It came two weeks before the fifth anniversary of the fire, on April 15, 2019, the images of which broadcast live on television and on social networks had moved the whole world.
150 million euros remaining
Retracing the stages of this reconstruction, the successor of General Jean-Louis Georgelin who died tragically in an accident last summer praised the work of the “250 companies” and “art professions” at work on the site, including the actual reconstruction work began in spring 2022 after a phase of clearing the rubble and securing the building, costing “150 million euros”.
Philippe Jost estimated that, “in this demanding final stretch”, the reconstruction budget should remain, barring unforeseen circumstances, “below the 550 million euros set”.
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There will then remain "around 150 million euros" out of the 846 million collected by the national subscription the day after the fire, which will be "reallocated to urgent restorations of the exteriors" of the cathedral.
The facades of Notre-Dame were notably damaged by stone pathologies prior to the fire.
These restorations will be managed by the public establishment from 2025, he specified.
Installation of the lead roof
“A piece of bravery” and probably the most visible result of this “wound closed in mid-March”, according to him, the spire of Notre-Dame, which had pierced the nave while collapsing in the flames, was rebuilt at the identical and points again in the sky of Paris as the scaffolding surrounding it is removed.
The installation of the lead roof continues on its solid oak frame and its decorative elements also gradually find their location.
At the beginning of March, the carpenters and quarryers celebrated, with a symbolic photo, the completion of the reconstruction of the framework of the nave.
A major step in this extraordinary project.