So here I am back on the subject of Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris. Not back since my last update in Nov19! but things are moving again after the covid19. There is a lot of work to go but the final date of 2024 has been kept and promise for the reopening!
Let me give you the latest on Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris, France, Europe, the World.
The dismantling of the scaffolding of the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris, deformed and welded by the heat of the cathedral fire in April 2019, began this past Monday Around 9h45, workers began to climb inside the scaffolding, via an elevator. This scaffolding, made up of 40,000 pieces, of 200 tonnes half of which is more than 40 meters high, was first consolidated and then surrounded by metal beams on three levels to stabilize it and prevent any risk of collapse. A second scaffolding has been put in place and from this past Monday, two alternating teams of five rope access technicians will descend as close as possible to the burnt out parts to cut, using saber saws, the metal tubes melted one on top of the other .They will be evacuated with an 80 meter crane. This operation will take place throughout the summer.
The President Macron has acquired the conviction that the cathedral must be restored to its original state, the Élysée said Thursday evening, after a meeting of the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture (CNPA), bringing together elected officials, experts and architects of the site. This Thursday afternoon, the members of the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture, a consultative and scientific body, all voted for an identical restoration of the spire. At the opening of the debates, General Georgelin, president of the public establishment of Notre-Dame, had also revealed to them the new intentions of the president. In the morning, the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, had also spoken of a consensus around the arrow!.
Part of the roof as well as the 13C framework must also be rebuilt. For these two structuring elements, President Emmanuel Macron will not give his opinion. The president leaves it to the experts to decide which materials will be chosen,” adds the Élysée. Commission asked for oak frame and argued for lead roofing.
The president trusted the experts and pre-approved the outline of the project presented by the chief architect Philippe Villeneuve, which plans to reconstruct the spire identically,” said the Elysee. This project globally proposes a restoration of the cathedral and its spire in the manner closest to its state just before the fire that occurred on the evening of April 15, 2019. The CNPA “unanimously approved the proposed restoration party consisting in restoring the architecture of Viollet-le-Duc, with regard to the cover and the spire while respecting the original materials”
Regarding the frame, on which there was debate, an upcoming study will specify exactly the contours of its reconstruction which will be made of wood. “If there is a contemporary gesture, it can be there”, according to the presidency, which also recalls the project of an ephemeral structure, of a “building site museum” which could be installed in the courtyard of the Hôtel-Dieu , near the cathedral.
Postponed due to confinement, the delicate dismantling of the scaffolding that surrounds Notre-Dame, deformed and welded by the heat of the fire, will be completed “at the latest in September”, assured General Georgelin a week ago . This dismantling conditions the possibility of starting the actual restoration of Notre-Dame. The president is still planning a reconstruction in five years with a reopening in 2024. There will be beautiful pages of debates, no doubt less Homeric, will still be written on Notre-Dame. But in 2024, if the deadlines are met, the whole world should find the familiar silhouette of the monument General Jean-Louis Georgelin reaffirms that Notre-Dame should be able to open its doors again in April 2024.
As to the cause of the fire still is a mystery huh! I like this to move rather quicker but…I have spoken to several firemen there , here ,and other parts of France. Confirming what is written in the French press…
It is a long and complex investigation that fascinates even beyond its challenges. An extraordinary survey, the size of Notre-Dame de Paris. For months, the cathedral was the scene of an intense ballet led by experts from the central laboratory of the police headquarters and the best heritage specialists. One by one, the stones of the collapsed vault were examined, the rubble was sorted, the cables, the electric wires and even what was left of the cigarette butts found on the site were analyzed and some placed under seal. Site personnel, workers, cathedral employees, members of the clergy, residents, merchants … more than a hundred witnesses were heard by the police of the criminal brigade, responsible for discovering the causes of the disaster. Accident, act of anti-Christian vandalism, criminal track, terrorist attack? Everything has been considered. The craziest as the most hazy. To the point that several “conspiracy theories” quickly emerge!
The causes of the fire are only part of the problem. Another equally important part is the arrangements made to protect the site in particular and the cathedral in general. We note that they came under the Ministry of Culture and that its services were particularly weak. It is nevertheless strange that with the current means of investigation, the cause is “unknown”. It is therefore a safe bet that this is a well prepared attack from the Freemason government who wants to destroy any Catholic symbol in France. The presence of the rabbi after the destruction of the cathedral is strange to say the least, as are the laughs of Macron and his (now former) prime minister Philippe … The investigation is all the more difficult since the will to find is absent: A professional firefighter friend assured me that such old oak beams do not burn: they burn slowly. So there needed a combustion activator, an “energy”. The oxidizer being oxygen, and “energy” being activated, the frame burned down completely in an hour …Energy? A spark would not have been enough. So the conclusion is obvious, but the omerta is in the media, and for good reason …It is indeed strange like some higher up is been protected!
I believe we might take more time in finding out than in rebuilding the Notre Dame Cathedral; time will tell. IN the meantime, we are moving on and on schedule!!!
For reference official webpage of Notre Dame Cathedral in French: Notre Dame de Paris
And you will be able to see an identical Cathedral in 2024 maybe the month will change but 2024 will be it. Thankfully, in time for the Paris Olympics!!!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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