For the first time since 1803, Notre Dame de Paris will not celebrate Christmas mass while, eight months after the fire, a giant crane has just arrived at the cathedral to dismantle a scaffold that threatens it.

There is no ceremony or procession planned nearby and the Christmas mass will be officiated at midnight by the cathedral's rector, Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, in the Parisian church Saint Germain l'Auxerrois, in front of the Louvre museum.

Thus, for the first time in 216 years, the eight-century cathedral will remain silent one Christmas night .

Meanwhile, on December 16, the giant crane for parts arrived in Notre Dame facilities in an exceptional convoy of 40 trucks.

Two days later the electrical transformation pole landed, an indispensable mechanism that will permanently feed the facilities.

The crane, which will reach 75 meters, can lift up to eight tons.

This crane will be in charge of carrying out the most delicate operation of the entire Herculean stabilization work: the removal of 10,000 metal tubes - 250 tons in total - that the fire on April 15th sealed.

It is a work of several months that needs many preparations because of its complexity.

Threatened and in urgency

The deformed, fragile scaffolding, with a structure of immense spider web that rises in the sky threatens the vault and the balance of the cathedral.

This jewel of Gothic art remains, eight months after the fire, in a state of absolute urgency.

According to the desire of French President Emmanuel Macron to finish the restoration of Notre Dame in five years, there is no end-of-year vacation in the work and some operations are still underway although others have been interrupted, according to the public institution directed by General Jean-Louis Georgelin, commissioned by Macron to manage the project.

The fire of the cathedral provoked an extraordinary mobilization in France and around the world and 922 million euros (about 1.021 million dollars) of donations and promises of donations were obtained, which means a total of 320,000 different donations in total.

For now, two thirds of the scaffolding ring with metal beams for the work are built and the top level banding remains, which will be carried out in January thanks to the new crane.

At the same time, a second light scaffold of greater height is being built from one part of the old to the other, so that, from beams equipped with rails, specialists can descend to intervene the metal scaffolding.

The dismantling, which could last several months, is scheduled to begin in February.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Notre Dame
  • Emmanuel Macron
  • France
  • Paris

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