IFive years ago, a terrible fire destroyed the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. Since then, the building dating back eight centuries has been under rapid reconstruction. The major construction site even allowed scientists to make astonishing discoveries!
What happened
As you can imagine, Notre-Dame de Paris is located… in Paris! Its construction began in 1163 and ended in 1345. Yes, yes, 182 years later!
On April 15, 2019, a huge fire destroyed a large part of the building, including the roof and the spire, which is the long pointed end that sits at the top. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, then promised to rebuild the building in five years. 2019 + 5 = 2024! Is the cathedral ready?
Where we are
The reconstruction is not yet complete, but it is progressing! Roof repairs are well underway, artwork and furniture have been cleaned. And most importantly: an identical copy of the spire, 96 meters high, has been installed. It took a 48-story high scaffolding to erect it.
Notre-Dame will therefore look good enough for the Paris Olympic Games, which will begin in July! The cathedral will reopen its doors to the public on December 8.
Historical secrets
After the fire, archaeologist Martine Regert insisted that no debris be thrown away. “The wood, the stones, the iron, all that is research material,” she told Duty.
In all, 200 specialists analyzed parts of the building after the fire. And their findings helped the architects who are repairing the cathedral.
For example, scientists discovered what type of wood was used to construct the building. These are the same trees that were used for the repairs.
We were also able to analyze the marks left by the tools on the wooden structure. They revealed what techniques workers used at the time.
So any opportunity is a good opportunity to learn more about the past!
Camille Lopez, based on a text by Stéphane Baillargeon
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