Dhe fire-damaged Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is to be reopened on December 8, 2024 for the feast of Mary. “It will be fully accessible for services and for visitors,” said Philippe Jost, deputy chief of the reconstruction authority, on Monday in Paris. “We’re going to discover a cathedral like we’ve never seen before,” he said at the opening of an exhibition on the restoration beneath the cathedral’s forecourt.
“We’re on schedule and we’re optimistic,” he said. After the reopening, the exterior of the cathedral will continue to be restored, but this work is no longer related to the aftermath of the devastating fire of April 15, 2019. On December 8th, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, patron saint of Paris Cathedral.
Biggest organ with 8000 pipes
The exhibition on the status of restoration should also interest young people in the related professions. “We have difficulties hiring young people,” said Jost. Numerous experts are needed for the restoration, such as foresters who selected the right trees for the reconstruction of the roof structure, stonemasons, carpenters, industrial climbers as well as restorers and organ tuners.
“The work inside the cathedral is well advanced,” said Jost. The organ, which was hardly damaged by the fire but was heavily soiled, has since been cleaned. The reinstallation of the largest organ in France with its 8,000 pipes should be done at night when there is no noise.
The Archdiocese of Paris has launched a competition to redesign the interior. These include the altar, the baptismal font and the 1500 seats. Because of the strict separation of church and state, the archdiocese has no decision-making authority in the restoration of the church. The Paris Cathedral, like all religious buildings built before 1905, is state-owned.
854 million euros in donations after the fire
The fire triggered an international wave of support. A total of 854 million euros in donations were collected, around half a million of which came from Germany. It was decided to rebuild the cathedral identically and with original materials.
Restoration of Notre-Dame
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“It’s like a beehive”
Image: AFP
The 19th-century turret, which caught fire and fell through the roof into the cathedral, is due to be completed later this year.
Meanwhile, four glass windows from the 20th century are being cleaned in the Cologne Cathedral workshop. The German restorers are the exception with a few British and Italian experts, almost all other professionals involved in the reconstruction are French.