AFP Paris
Paris
Updated Tuesday, February 13, 2024-19:14
The dismantling of the scaffolding around
the spire of the Notre Dame cathedral,
devastated by a fire in 2019, "began a few days ago" and it should be fully visible for the Paris Olympic Games, reconstruction sources have indicated to AFP.
The spire of the arrow, reconstructed just like the one designed in the 19th century by the architect Eugène Viollet Le Duc - a masterpiece in solid oak wood covered with a lead cover - is now visible, as is the crown, the cross and the rooster.
"The dismantling of the scaffolding has begun and will continue in the coming months. The arrow should be visible in the sky over Paris by the Olympic Games," the source said. "The scaffolding, weighing 600 tons and made up of 70,000 metal pieces, reached a height of 100 meters. It had 48 levels, closely connected to the structure," he explained.
"It allowed the assembly of the arrow and all the solid oak pieces of the structure, followed by the placement of the lead cover", with original materials chosen and validated in 2020 by the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture (CNPA). .
The famous arrow had collapsed, along with other parts of the cathedral, on April 15, 2019 in
an impressive fire whose images were broadcast live
, sparking planetary emotion.
Notre Dame Cathedral, with the visible spireYoan ValatEFE | EPA
The reopening of the cathedral is scheduled for December 8. Reconstruction work is due to continue during the Olympic Games, from July 26 to August 11, followed by the Paralympic Games, from August 28 to September 8.
Judicial investigations into the origin of the incident continue. At the end of the preliminary investigation, the hypothesis of an accident prevailed.