On April 15, 2019, a devastating fire occurred at the infamous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The fire caused significant damage to the historic structure, which is a landmark in the city and a symbol of French Gothic architecture. The cathedral has been undergoing restoration works and is on course to reopen to the public in 2024. Throughout the process of restoration, its interior cleaning methodologies were debated, its carpentry was entirely replaced by medieval-skilled timber craftsmen, and the completion date for the cathedral is still on track for December 2024.
The interior cleaning phase at Notre Dame took place during the second half of 2022. The process began with the application of a latex paste to all the interior stonework. When the latex is peeled off a few days later, dust and dirt are removed from the walls, rendering the walls “luminous.” Although the cleaning has been wildly successful, many critics argue that the result of the paste is not in line with the original state of the cathedral. Moreover, the critics claim it is a distortion of the 850-year-old relic and Catholic tradition.
The devastating fire of 2019 destroyed the complex roof structure of the world heritage site. In fact, due to the copious amount of timber used in the roof, it used to be referred to as La Forêt, French for The Forest. This roof structure presented itself as a grave issue, with some saying it would be impossible to rebuild it simply due to the large amounts of trees used in its construction. The restorers turned to craftsmen in Guédelon, a castle in construction 2 hours south of Paris, where carpenters are trained in medieval woodworking. The Guédelon project is an archaeology experiment, a castle built from only the tools and methods available in the Middle Ages and locally sourced material. Today, Guédelon plays an unforeseen and vital role in restoring Notre Dame’s La Forêt.
In February of 2023, the scaffolding that will initiate the restoration process of the infamous 19th-century spire was erected. Designed by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, the wooden spire was one of the most vivid moments of the fire in 2019. In fact, the spire was being restored with the fire broke out. An identical version of the spire has been made from the same original materials. 1,400 French oak trees were found for the new structure, and it is set to be rebuilt precisely according to the drawings by Viollet-le-Duc. The official report aims to produce it with “authenticity, harmony, and coherence of this masterpiece of Gothic Architecture.”
The restoration efforts are ongoing, and progress is being made. The process of this rebuilding is expected to be completed in 2024, with experts claiming that it will not be ready on time. In August 2022, Culture Minister of France Rima Abul-Malak was confident the cathedral would open on time for the Olympic Games being held in Paris in 2024. However, as the games are from 26 July to 11 August 2024, it might be a long shot. Paris’s built environment has been rapidly changing to keep up with contemporary concerns and needs. In June, the city officially reinstated a rule that limits the height of new buildings in the French capital to 37 meters, or 12 stories. In August, the French Ministry of Tourism announced a nationwide to encourage visitors to discover less popular attractions within the country in an effort to ease the pressure on the bigger cities.
