Five years after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral is close to completion as attention shifts to Paris for the Olympic Games. On the evening of April 15, 2019, flames engulfed the cathedral’s roof, spreading to the spire and threatening the main bell towers. Viewers worldwide watched in shock as the historic building burned.
Macron, whose second and final term concludes in 2027, aims for the cathedral’s restoration to boost the nation’s morale and improve his government’s popularity ratings.
“Only once in a century does one host Olympic and Paralympic Games, only once in a millennium does one rebuild a cathedral,” Macron said in his 2024 New Year speech.
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The exact cause of the fire remains unclear. French authorities have suggested that an electrical fault or a burning cigarette could have been responsible.
“A firefighter told me ‘Sir, take a close look at the facade because if we don’t manage to put out that fire, it will all go to ruin’,” remembered Patrick Chauvet, the former Notre-Dame chief priest.
While the facade remained intact, the extensive damage required five years of rigorous stabilization and restoration efforts. The dedication and pride of those involved in the project are evident.
“This is the construction work of a lifetime, because restoring an entire monument in all its three-dimensionality, that’s quite exceptional,” Emma Roux, an artisan working on the iconic stained glass windows, said.
The reopening is slated for December and is currently proceeding as planned, according to the project’s lead official.
“We are on time and on budget,” Philippe Jost said last month at a Senate hearing.
Jost informed lawmakers that the project had incurred a cost of 550 million euros ($587 million) thus far, partly funded by substantial donations, including contributions from billionaires in the luxury sector such as Francois Henri Pinault and the Arnault family. He noted that the donations were so generous that there would be surplus funds available for additional investments in the building.
“An additional 150 million euros should be made available and – provided the approval of our sponsors – it will be used to restore the cathedral and tackle problems that predate the fire, which mainly concern the exterior stonework,” Jost added
At the age of 63, Jost, a trained engineer with extensive experience in the defence ministry, assumed the role following the untimely death of his predecessor, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, in a hiking accident in August 2023.
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