In April 2019, a massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral made news in France and around the world. Four years have passed since then. Rebuilding work is underway and the cathedral is expected to reopen by the end of 2024.
I have seen the current exhibition in Paris on the reconstruction of two cathedrals.
One is the exhibition “Notre-Dame de Paris : au cœur du chantier” (Notre-Dame de Paris, in the heart of the construction site), held in the basement in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral, in a venue that was formerly a parking lot. The exhibition is being held at the site. It is free of charge until Notre-Dame reopens.
More than 845 million euros have been raised for the reconstruction of the cathedral from 340,000 donors in 150 countries around the world.
With this funding, visitors can learn in detail about the process of rebuilding the roof, columns, statues, paintings, organ, glass, and much more, with interviews with people on site. To keep the original condition as intact as possible, a scientific approach by experts is a must to analyze the wood and stones from the time of construction, and everything continues to be done with great precision and delicacy. On the day of the tour, young people were listening intently to the guide’s talk, and perhaps this will lead some of them to want to work in one of these reconstruction projects.
For a fee, there is also a VR space where visitors can see 850 years of Notre Dame Cathedral from its construction to the present. It seems to be quite popular as reservations were coming in one after another.
Another exhibition is “Notre-Dame de Paris. Des bâtisseurs aux restaurateurs” (“Notre-Dame de Paris, from builders to restorers”).
The highlight here is that there are many “real” things to see. The bronze statues placed around the spire are a particular must-see: 16 of them (12 apostles and 4 evangelists) miraculously escaped the fire because they had been moved for restoration a few days before the fire.
The weathervane found in the rubble is also impressive. It adorned the top of the steeple, so it could have been burned to the ground. The weathervane was not just a weathervane, but also contained three relics, all of which are said to be intact: a spike from the crown of thorns that Christ wore when he was executed, and parts of the bodies of Saint Denis and Saint Geneviève.
There are also numerous drawings and models of cathedrals and spires built in the 1840s and 50s.
In addition, we can also see the organ pipes, paintings, and newly restored stained glass windows, and we look forward to the day when these will return to the cathedral after reconstruction.
The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral was dramatized by the video distribution service Netflix and also made into a film by master director Jean-Jacques Annaud as “Notre Dame: Cathedral in Flames. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but it may provide some insight into what was going on at the time.
Although it will not be ready in time for next summer’s Paris Olympics, I am sure that Parisians in particular will rejoice when Notre Dame Cathedral reopens around Christmas time!
© Source travel watch