How Notre Dame de Paris is being restored after a fire and will it be possible to do it

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Until recently, work was in full swing near Notre Dame Cathedral, even if one did not even have to think about a complete restoration, the construction and the bustle of workers around the building were the personification of hope. Now the wind plays in the dilapidated walls and emits an eerie melody, penetrating the crevices and other destruction that the fire left behind. There are also no streams of tourists who, even in spite of the fire that happened in the old building a year ago, did not lose interest in it and were eager to be photographed near the dilapidated temple and scaffolding. However, the pandemic has made adjustments to the restoration of the cathedral - work has been suspended for the near future.

A year ago, all the news reports were full of only one piece of news - the French architectural heritage, the legendary Notre Dame, is burning. At that time, it seemed that the cathedral that had flared up could no longer be saved, and the legacy was completely lost, the flame was so strong and uncontrollable. But now the ode to the firefighters, who actually did everything possible and defended part of the building, have already passed, a year has passed, during which the experts painstakingly studied the damage caused and outlined an action plan in many directions. However, no one can say how many years it will take to completely restore an architectural monument and whether it will be possible at all (at least, preserving its historical uniqueness and originality). [/ANOUNS]

What eventually burned out and how much damage

Rector of the cathedral, Patrick Chauvet, compares Notre Dame to a woman of venerable age who suffered dangerous injuries and leads a parallel with all elderly people who are now isolated in their homes. So Notre Dame was left alone, but not abandoned, the French value their "first lady" too much, this is how they call the cathedral among themselves. During the fire, a spire collapsed, containing 500 tons of oak and 250 tons of lead. As a result, two-thirds of the roof of the temple was damaged, as well as the interior decoration. Despite the fact that many relics were saved, and they were transferred to the Louvre for restoration and storage, some of them were badly damaged by smoke and extinguishing. Thus, a medieval organ was damaged by water. The old forests, which were erected for restoration before the start of the fire, were also dangerous. From the fire, they arched and threatened to collapse, increasing the destruction. They need to be disassembled very carefully, besides, according to experts, there is still a danger for the building, strong winds or a hurricane can collapse fragile structures, it will be possible to talk about the degree of destruction only after all the forests are completely dismantled.

The work of the restorers is complicated by lead pollution, after extinguishing the fire, vigorous activity was repeatedly postponed after measuring the lead level. This, in addition to the coronavirus, was another reason to postpone the restoration.

Combining technologies of the XII and XXI centuries

However, the fact that builders are not scurrying around the cathedral does not mean that the restoration work has completely stopped. Currently, experts from the Parisian National Center for Scientific Research are developing a digital model of the building's components. It's about every beam and every stone. It is an amazing synthesis of medieval heritage and modern technology. There is a collection of unique data that will be studied by the next generations.

Despite the fact that a year has passed since the fire, a year of active work in this direction, the debate about how the spire destroyed by the fire should look like does not subside, in general, the historical appearance of the building remains in question. The best architects from all over the world propose their own projects without fear of using mirrors, solar panels, and stained glass windows. It is also possible that the outer cladding may change.

Although the chief architect specializing in historical monuments Philippe Villeneuve has a completely different opinion on this matter and is sure that the restored spire should look exactly the same as the burnt one. Many recognized historical and architectural figures are of the same opinion. The church also advocates preserving the historical image of the cathedral, including its lost spire.

Notre Dame, like many other famous cathedrals in France, is state property, therefore the main decision remains with the Elysian Palace, which, however, is ready to listen to both sides in making such an important decision. By the way, immediately after the fire, the French President said that the restoration should take about five years.

Taking into account the interest of tourists

Despite the fact that the cathedral is in a deplorable state, the flow of tourists to it has not dried up all this year, if not to say that it has only increased. To the credit of the French, it is worth noting that, despite the fact that the building itself is closed to the public, the interests of tourists and parishioners are still taken into account. We are looking for ways to create optimal conditions under which tourists visiting the cathedral could not interfere with construction work. Perhaps it will be an underground entrance under the porch, where the parking lot is now located. However, this decision also has opponents, especially in the circles of the clergy, which, given the religious purpose of the building, enjoys great authority in this matter. So, according to the clergy, you can enter the temple only through the doors, and there are no tourists here at all, they come here to God.

In the meantime, there is an exposition on the fence that tells about the fire itself, extinguishing the fire, and, of course, about the course of restoration.

What caused the fire

The restoration process is being carried out together with an investigation, because the cause of the fire has not yet been established and the official version of what happened has not yet been put forward. The investigation involved not only employees of the scientific department of the police, but also historians. At the moment, there are three equivalent hypotheses. This is an unextinguished cigarette, which could have been left by either one of the builders or tourists. A short circuit in electrical networks, or an accident in a construction elevator, is not excluded. Notre Dame has become a very high cost of oversight, because this is perhaps the only completely accurate cause of the fire. In addition, in France there are a lot of ancient cathedrals that attract tourists, and they also require attention, and not only for the safety of buildings, but also for the safety of parishioners and tourists. In addition, most of them have narrow entrances and doorways. Now the main goal is to shelter the rest of the cathedral from rain and bad weather, for this it was covered with a dense net. They also protected stained-glass windows and glass, which are strongly threatened by wind and draft.

However, the architectural heritage is not always destroyed by fire, 5 historic buildings that Moscow has lost over the past seven years, confirmation that the main danger is human indifference.