More than a week before the official opening, Emmanuel Macron visited the newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Friday. “It’s great,” said the French president as he entered the church with Culture Minister Rachida Dati, after Paris Archbishop Ulrich Laurent.
“It looks much friendlier with the light walls,” he said, looking at the sandstone, which has been freed of dirt and grime over the centuries. It was also the first time since the fire in 2019 that the public got a glimpse of the Gothic masterpiece, which was completely cleaned and restored.
“I remember it like it was yesterday when the lead was still dripping,” Macron said, recalling the fire disaster. The day after, Macron declared that he wanted to rebuild the cathedral within five years, “more beautiful than before.”
Old techniques, new technologies
“It’s a combination of traditions. As close as possible to ancestral techniques, plus 21st century technology, with the use of digital models to rebuild all these vaults,” says site manager Philippe Jost, who is coordinating the reconstruction of the destroyed cathedral.
During the two-hour visit, Macron also thanked the numerous craftsmen involved in the restoration. “They worked for this with heart and soul,” he says. All of France can be proud of it.
The roof structure was rebuilt faithfully to the original
Macron also visited the roof structure, which had completely burned down and was partially rebuilt according to the original using medieval craftsmanship methods and tools. More than 1,000 oak trees from all over the country were used for the roof construction.
Source: Krone
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