PHOTO JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
“It’s incredible, you realize”, comments, in the front row, General Jean-Louis Georgelin (photo), responsible for supervising the reconstruction of the cathedral. All eyes are on the piece, which fits perfectly into the already partly assembled structure.
PHOTO JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
This piece, raised in the air and placed with precision, alone weighs almost a ton. Each part of the barrel, taken in isolation, is fragile. But “once everything is assembled, it’s very rigid”, emphasizes Patrick Jouenne, spoiler (responsible for the site) for the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame spire.
PHOTO JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The barrel, built in solid wood, comprises 285 parts, 350 assemblies, and will weigh, once fully assembled, 120 tons for 19 meters in height. Twenty-four pieces even intersect in a spectacular assembly, called the “X node”. Every detail counts.
PHOTO JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Before the spectacular assembly phase of these elements making up the future spire, painstaking work was carried out, partly “invisible”, with numerous studies. The extremely complex plans were presented by the engineers, architects and other trades involved in this preliminary research, which must also take into account the shrinkage of the wood over time.
PHOTO JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
More than 1600 calculation combinations made it possible to anticipate all the events that could have an impact on the barrel, such as snow or wind. Then, in this large warehouse entirely dedicated to the construction site in Briey, dozens of carpenters get down to work, plans in front of them, in the precise work of the wood.
PHOTO JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The reconstruction of the spire of Notre-Dame, intended to be identical to that originally thought of in the 19the century by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, is about halfway through. It started last March. Once the barrel has been fully assembled “dry”, in this test phase in Lorraine, it will be dismantled and transported by truck to Paris, where it will be reconstituted on the Notre-Dame site.
PHOTO JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
When completed, the spire will weigh “about 370 tonnes” and stand 53 meters high above the walls. Last March, the stool, the lower part of the spire, was also mounted “white”. It measures 5.50 m below the walls, for a total of about 59 meters high.
PHOTO JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
For General Jean-Louis Georgelin, “at the end of the year, we will see the spire in the sky of Paris and we will see the trusses placed, both on the transepts, the nave and the choir, and finally we will find the silhouette of the cathedral “. The latter could reopen at the end of 2024.