five years after the fire, the main reconstruction challenges met, according to Philippe Jost, head of the site

On April 15, 2019, a gigantic fire ravaged the cathedral, a symbol of Christianity listed as a UNESCO world heritage site which welcomed 12 million visitors each year. It caused the collapse of its spire and the partial collapse of its roof, ravaged by the flames. Millions of people were stunned by the images broadcast live.

Five years after the fire which devastated Notre-Dame de Paris, the main challenges posed by its restoration have been met, like its spire whose needle covered in its lead cover once again points into the sky, according to Philippe Jost, site manager.

Two hundred and fifty companies and hundreds of craftsmen, architects and professionals worked on this extraordinary project to allow the reopening of the masterpiece of Gothic art, still scheduled for December 8, told AFP Philippe Jost, who has headed the public establishment responsible for this restoration since the death of General Jean-Louis Georgelin last summer.

Clearing and securing

“We all experienced the shock of the cathedral after the fire, with these visions of desolation: the gaping breaches in the vaults, the rubble which littered the ground. We used robots, because we could not penetrate under the vaults . The security phase lasted more than two years”, remembers Philippe Jost, who was first the right-hand man of General Georgelin. Tons of rubble (charred wood, collapsed stones, etc.) had to be cleared. A construction site interrupted for several weeks due to Covid-19.

Securing continued with the bending of the flying buttresses which support the vaults, which in turn threatened to collapse, as well as with the decontamination of 450 tons of lead partially vaporized into the atmosphere. An exterior scaffolding of 40 000 twisted and charred tubes, which surrounded the spire before the fire (of which 16 statues had been dismantled for restoration), were dismantled. This “major step” under high security ended in the summer 2021, for a cost of 150 millions of euros.

Reconstruction of the frames of the nave, choir and spire

Reconstruction started in the fall 2021 on the cathedral construction site (where interior and exterior scaffolding was installed) and in numerous art workshops (carpenters, master glassmakers, stonemasons, etc.).

Among the technical challenges, Philippe Jost cites the frames of the nave, the choir and the spire, which could be reconstructed identically in solid oak, with more than a thousand of bicentennial trees specially selected from French forests. They were all completed in March, the spire, identical to that of the 19th century architect century Viollet-le-Duc, having also recovered part of its cover and its lead ornaments, as well as its cross and its rooster. From “great moments”Philippe Jost quotes “April 2023, when the stone masons closed the large breach in the vault of the nave” and when “the arrow has reappeared in the eyes of all” in February 2024.

The overall budget for this reconstruction phase should remain “below” of the 550 million euros estimated at the start, anticipates Philippe Jost. In total, 846 million euros in donations have been collected around the world, of which around 150 must be used to restore exterior parts of the cathedral which were very eroded and affected by various stone pathologies before the fire.

Cleaning the interior

Inside, Notre-Dame has regained a luminosity unknown in living memory: the cleaning of the walls, vaults and decorations is almost complete. It reveals the blondness of the Ile-de-France stone and the painted decorations which were buried under layers of dirt. The replacement of the black and white checkerboard floors continues as well as the completely redesigned installation of technical and electrical devices and a new fire-fighting system, according to Philippe Jost. The diocese has chosen to purify the central axis of the cathedral and provide it with new massive and sober liturgical furniture in brown bronze as well as 1,500 chairs with an openwork design in solid oak, which will be installed in the fall. .

Waiting for six contemporary stained glass windows

The stained glass windows (of which only three large roses are medieval) were not damaged by the fire but they have all been cleaned. Six contemporary stained glass windows should integrate certain chapels on the Seine side but not before 2026, according to the wishes of the President of the Republic.

The great organ cleaned

The great organ (the largest in France) was spared by the fire but covered in lead dust. After cleaning, its 8,000 pipes were reassembled one by one. Its harmonization should last six months to restore its “voice” to Notre-Dame.

Next steps

By summer, the roofs of the nave, the choir and the spire, the restoration of the floors as well as work on the interior art furniture must be completed. From the fall, the square and the access points will be cleared and redeveloped in conjunction with the City of Paris, responsible for restructuring the surrounding area, which must be greened by 2028.