Paris1972-Versailles2003

The Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris fire of April 15, 2019. As you might know , this is a symbol of Paris , sometimes more so than the Eiffel and the whole country is behind it. One of the magnificent gothic cathedrals of my belle France!  I had done several updates on its construction moving right along, and decided to condense these posts now that the cathedral is on her way to open late 2024, As a reminder, to arrive at Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris you can take the Metro/RER as metro line 4 Cité; Saint Michel – Notre-Dame RER B and C,metro lines 1 and 11 Hôtel de Ville; line 10 Maubert-Mutualité / Cluny – La Sorbonne , lines 7 and 14 Châtelet – Les Halles as well here RER A and D. Of course, the best way is to come all the way walking from your spot in Paris!

Let me tell in a condense way my posts on the updates from 2020 to 2024, Hope you enjoy it as I.

The July2020 update! Told you that 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. But in 2024, if the deadlines are met, the whole world should find the familiar silhouette of the monument, General Jean-Louis Georgelin (sadly passed away August 18, 2023 ) reaffirms that Notre-Dame should be able to open its doors again in April 2024. Thankfully, in time for the Paris Olympics !!!

The November2020 update! Told you that the archaeological crypt of Ile de la Cité, located under the cathedral, has also just reopened to visitors. There, an exhibition devoted to Victor Hugo and Eugène Viollet-Le-Duc, the two key men in the resurrection of the cathedral in the 19C, has been installed since last September 9 2020. Likewise, a brand new souvenir shop has appeared on the forecourt, designed above all to be a place of welcome for visitors/tourists. Currently, workers perched tens of meters high are dismantling the gigantic metal scaffolding and its 40,000 metal tubes, a delicate painstaking job that should be completed by Christmas 2020 and will allow reconstruction to begin. A large part of this structure is mounted around the spire for its restoration and badly damaged by the fire of April 15, 2019, has been removed. Its complete removal will be completed in the next few weeks, by the end of the year. The removal of the great organ, which began in August 2020 , will continue until January 2021. The 8,000-pipe instrument was not damaged by fire on April 15, 2019, but it is covered with dust and parts of it suffered from thermal variations. It must therefore be cleaned and renovated.

The April2021 update, told you that it is a metal cathedral now. From floor to ceiling, from the Choir to the nave, are tens of thousands of steel tubes. Everywhere, scaffolders are busy putting up this framework. In the future, it will clean up walls contaminated with lead. At the moment, the scaffolding is used to access the vaults. The extraordinary work is the pride of its designer. The vaults are particularly weakened, their consolidation is therefore the priority of the site. Massive structural members, 7 to 10 meters long, arrive by air. About twenty of these wooden belts are already in place. The device is close to that of the builders of cathedrals. The actual reconstruction work will begin this summer 2021., A protective, non-slip, very resistant and cleanable resin has also come to cover the surface of the square (parvis) in order to alleviate the problems related to lead pollution, which appeared after the fire. Finally, the Crypt   decontamination work is completed. Measurements revealed very low post-cleaning lead levels, with 17 readings less than 100µg / m², the highest at 754µg / m². This site is therefore considered “clean”.

The July2022 update, told you that General Jean-Louis Georgelin in charge of the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral , I am quoting and translating the way, « The reopening of Notre-Dame in 2024 is a tense, rigorous and complicated objective. We will fight to win this battle, and to be able to open for worship, in 2024. On this date, Notre-Dame will be completely cleaned, to the point that visitors will have a visual shock when entering «  The fire of Notre-Dame Cathedral, whose causes have still not been established with certainty had caused the collapse of its frame, its spire, its clock and part of its vault, ravaged by the flames, A big mystery the causes not declared officially yet, something is going on, time will tell,,,, Meanwhile in Mauges (Maine-et-Loire 49), Ateliers Perrault were selected for the reconstruction of the framework of the choir and the nave of Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris. The historic Ateliers Perrault (262 years of existence), always settled in the Mauges, in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Plaine, between Cholet and Angers, The new forecourt is designed as a clearing, which highlights the eastern facade of Notre-Dame Cathedral in a green setting. The surrounding trees will provide seats in the shade, while a thin layer of water 5 millimeters high will trickle occasionally to refresh the square in times of great heat, creating ephemeral reflections. The space behind the cathedral, as large as the square in front, today divided by hedges and fences, will become a large continuous square between the chevet and the Seine around a generous lawn which opens onto the arches. flying buttresses and stained glass windows. The gardens to the south of the cathedral, as well as the existing trees, will be integrated into a large riverside park 400 meters long. A total of 131 new trees will be planted. The site of Notre-Dame (approximately 4 hectares) will gain in vegetation (+36% gain compared to the current surface), The old underground car park, located under the current forecourt, will be transformed into an interior promenade. This will house Notre-Dame reception areas over 3,000 m2 (luggage storage, toilets, rooms for groups, etc.) and will offer new experiences to visitors (which now need to use public transport already full) new access to the archaeological crypt and an opening onto the Seine. The new layout will also allow new views of the cathedral. Another novelty: rue du Cloître will be calmed and vegetated !

The April2023 update ! ,told you the Notre-Dame-de-Paris Cathedral is lit by more than 120 windows dating from the 13C to the 20C. During the fire, the vault was able to fulfill its role as a shield by isolating more than 3000 m2 of glazed surfaces and the firefighters managed to control the action of the water to preserve all of the stained glass windows. A transdisciplinary team contributes its skills to the restoration project. It also seizes this opportunity to study and enhance the stained glass windows and especially those of the 19C, less known, but representing an important set made under the authority of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The fire not only destroyed the framework of Notre-Dame but also damaged its stone structures (vaults, walls, columns). The action of the heat or the water poured out to put out the fire has indeed altered the solidity of the vaults, the condition of the masonry… which must therefore be the subject of technical diagnoses. Three types of work are currently underway: cleaning and restoration of the interior of the building; restoration of collapsed masonry and vaults;and work to restore the missing spire and frameworks is underway, both on the Île de la Cité and in the workshop. placing the stool. This is the base on which the new arrow will be erected. Once this task is completed, the spire and its scaffolding will then be able to gradually raise by the end of the year. It looks like a square that measures 13 meters by 13 meters. Since last week we started to mount this stool in the cathedral 30 meters high. It’s almost finished already. The 96 meter high spire is to be rebuilt identically to Viollet-le-Duc’s design. It should be visible in 2023, and the 600-ton scaffolding needed to carry out the work, as well as that of the transept crossing, was delivered at the end of 2022, announced the public establishment in charge of the restoration site in a update on the works, December 1, 2022 Luckily, the great organ had not been touched during the fire. However, it was taken apart to be cleaned. The various pieces had been covered with lead dust during the incident. Laying has already begun, and each of the instrument’s 8,000 pipes will be laid one by one. The first collapsed vault in the north transept has been resealed. The diagonal arches and the oculus of the vault of the crossing of the transept have been reassembled for the installation of the stained glass windows. As a reminder, none of the cathedral’s stained glass windows were destroyed or damaged by the fire. Then and until the end of the year 2023, we will see the scaffolding which will surround the spire gradually rise in the sky of Paris, as it is built. Eventually, the scaffolding, weighing 600 tons, will culminate at 100 meters (for the record, the arrow culminates at 96 meters), the institution continues on It has again confirm will be ready by December 8 2024 !!!

The December2023 update!! Told you the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral is scheduled for December 8, 2024, after the Paris Olympics in the summer, a date confirmed by Emmanuel Macron at the end of August 2023, The spire visible again at the top of the cathedral, four and a half years after its fire, The structure or solid oak frame of the spire will be completed in December , At the same time, the assembly of the frames of the nave and the choir, which had also collapsed in the fire will be completed at the beginning of 2024, date on which the installation of their roofing can also begin. On the interior restoration side, the simultaneous cleaning of the walls, painted decorations and vaults (with a total area of 42,000 m2) is completed and the scaffolding is dismantled gradually. The cathedral must be ready to welcome its new liturgical furniture in dark brown bronze, as well as 1,500 openwork design chairs in solid oak, during the last quarter of 2024. The statue of Christ has returned to the top of the south gable! It now looks towards the left bank of the Seine river. The installation of the framework continues at full speed! The nave, restored identically to the “forest” inherited from the 13C. Meanwhile, at the heart of the scaffolding of the crossing, the carpenters are finishing lifting the two openwork levels of the spire. Trilobes, quatrefoils, columns: take a closer look at these ornaments that punctuate the work of Viollet-le-Duc. The restoration in the workshop of 22 large paintings evacuated from the cathedral just after the fire, including 13 Mays. The complete takeover of all the technical installations of the cathedral, including completely redesigned fire protection including a water mist system (misting) in the oak frames. Complete cleaning of the grand organ in the workshop and its reinstallation in the cathedral. In the western massif (narthex and towers), in connection with the center of national monuments, the work allowing the reopening of the tour circuit of the towers. Concerning the choir organ, the complete replacement of the instrument (the case being preserved and restored) and its instrumental extension, leading to its reinstallation in 2025. A masterpiece of Gothic art admired throughout the world, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris welcomed 12 million visitors on average each year before the fire, 2,500 services and 150 concerts !! It will be back !!!

The August2024 update tell us that the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, provided for worship and the public on December 8 2024, will be preceded by an official inauguration in the presence of the President of the French Republic, the day before. Already this year on January 12, 2024 was the laying the bouquet, symbolizing the end of the construction of the choir frame to date, the whole fence of choir, a sculpted masterpiece of the 14C, is cleaned and restored, as well as the sets of the Sacristy. In parallel, the rest of the large organ and the 39 high berries started after cleaning with three workshops of organ factors located in Corrèze, in Hérault and Vaucluse. The 8,000 instrument pipes will be raised one by one. For the record, this symphonic organ has been the voice of the cathedral since 1733. The works relating to the technical and electrical equipment of the cathedral and its fire protection began during the summer. Very quickly, they took a very visible intensity inside the cathedral, on its southern flank and in the basements of the sacristy and the presbytery.

The most spectacular aspect of this renovation could well be the new contemporary stained glass windows installed in the lower part of the cathedral, illustrating the theme of Pentecost – the flame of the Holy Spirit descending on earth. These stained glass windows are designed to radically transform the lighting and atmosphere of the southern part of the cathedral, adding a spiritual and aesthetic dimension renewed finally, In addition, during the Olympic Games from July 26 to August 11 and the Paralympic Games from August 28 September 8, access to the three portals of the cathedral as well as the main adjacent street will remain open to the public, thus ensuring continuity in the reception of visitors and the celebration of this emblematic monument. The cathedral must reopen on December 8, 2024. For this reopening, with in particular the return of the statue of Notre-Dame, at the end of November, accompanied by a major popular procession in the streets. On December 7, an inauguration will take place, with an awakening of the organ, a liturgical celebration with blessing, a Magnificat or a Te Deum, then the Vêpres. The first Mass for years will take place on December 8, the day of the Immaculate Conception, with a consecration of the altar.

The official Notre Dame Cathedral : https://www.notredamedeparis.fr/visiter/voir-la-cathedrale/

The Friends of Notre Dame Cathedral donations from abroad : https://secure.givelively.org/donate/friends-of-notre-dame-de-paris-inc

The official reconstruction news on the Notre Dame Cathedral : https://rebatirnotredamedeparis.fr/en

The Paris tourist office on the Notre Dame Cathedral : https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/cathedrale-notre-dame-de-paris-et-son-tresor-p3576

There you go folks, we are all eagerly waiting for the moment even if events has been held and will be before full restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris. Worth the wait, and do see it again, me too ! Again, hope you have enjoyed these posts on the updates of 2020 to 2024 of ours ,yours Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!