Barthélémy Philippe / Photo credits: ERIC BRONCARD / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 08:03, 08 December 2023

Emmanuel Macron will visit the construction site of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral this Friday and will give an update on the progress of the work. The reconstruction was financed by €846 million in donations, collected in the aftermath of the fire in 2019. But while the cathedral will reopen in a year's time, the work is expected to cost only €700 million.

One year to the day before its reopening, Emmanuel Macron is expected this Friday on the construction site of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. To rebuild the old lady after the fire of April 15, 2019, the state had launched an appeal for donations. It was a success, with €846 million raised, a surplus of nearly €150 million. The question arises: what will the remaining money be used for?

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Funds set aside for the renovation of Notre-Dame

A law from 2019 stipulates that the funds raised during the subscription will be reserved for the renovation of Notre-Dame. The remaining €146 million should therefore be used for a third phase of the construction that will begin in 2025, after the reopening of the cathedral to the public.

According to the Élysée, this new stage will consist of renovating the exteriors, which must be harmonized with the cathedral. For example, the flying buttresses, the huge semi-circular pillars that support the choir and nave. Another example is the sacristy, an annex to the cathedral, where objects of worship are kept. This exterior work could cost up to 170 million euros, according to estimates by the Notre-Dame Foundation. The €846 million prize pool will therefore be fully consumed at the end of this third phase of the project in five or six years' time.