One year after the Notre-Dame fire, the construction site of the cathedral on hold

Text by: Romain Philips Follow

A year after the fire that ravaged the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, the building is still in danger. But despite the stoppage of the site because of the containment decreed to fight against the epidemic of coronavirus, the objective of rebuilding the cathedral in five years is maintained.

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A year ago, around 8 p.m., Parisians and tourists gathered in front of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. Powerless, they witnessed the terrible fire that ravaged the historic building anchored since the 14th century in the heart of the French capital. On that day, before the eyes of the whole world, hundreds of firefighters fought the fire that started in the oak frame, nicknamed "the forest", until the mythical arrow collapsed in the void which was enthroned on the roof of the building.

Immediately, the biggest disaster that this cathedral experienced sparked worldwide emotion. The next day, April 16, 2019, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, speaks live on all the channels and declares one thing: the cathedral will be rebuilt in five years . From this moment, the countdown is started and the machine starts.

The five-year period maintained

A major challenge which has been made more complex by numerous complications. Lead pollution, bad weather, difficulty of the site. .. The events making the reconstruction of the cathedral more difficult followed one another but the works continued, until the health crisis due to the Covid-19.

Since March 16, the date on which the containment of the population was decreed in France, the construction site has been stopped. But for as much, the objective of a reopening of Notre-Dame in 2024 remains in the line of sight of the public establishment in charge of the conservation and the restoration of the cathedral Notre-Dame of Paris. “ We hope to be able to meet the five year deadline. What encourages us in this sense is that the restoration study work (...) can progress by telework. The chief architects of the historic monuments who are piloting these studies are at work at the moment, this encourages us to think that the deadline of 2024 could be kept, ”explains Philippe Jost, Deputy Managing Director of the public establishment, to RFI.

The site is in a phase of "lifting of danger"

For a year now, those who are working on the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame cathedral have devoted themselves to " consolidating and securing the monument, " explains Philippe Jost. Even today, the site is in a phase of " lifting of danger ".

From the days following the disaster , it was necessary to secure the building and the residents of possible " collapses " but also " evacuate as quickly as possible " the works of art. Once these essential operations were completed, it was necessary to tackle the reinforcement of the structures, the clearing of the remains of the fire but also the covering of the gaping hole in the roof which allowed the bad weather to further damage the interior of the building. Lead pollution found inside and around the building also impacted the site. Since the discovery of this pollution, regular suits and showers have been part of the daily life of builders.

When the construction site stopped, the workers were preparing to take " longer-term actions ", such as the dismantling of the scaffolding that surrounded the boom at the time of the fire. A building of 40,000 pieces of metal which has partially melted and which today threatens the cathedral. A difficult task for rope access technicians who will be responsible for cutting and removing the melted parts. The clearing of the vaults, still partly cluttered with charred debris, is also on the program. " This is what we will do as soon as we can resume work on the site, " explains the Deputy CEO. While waiting for the workers to return, the large, immobile crane stands on the Ile de la Cité as a symbol of the cessation of activities.

The large crane enthroned above the cathedral, December 19, 2019. Thomas SAMSON / AFP

Construction of spire divides

"The major restoration work will take place in 2022 and 2023, " says Philippe Jost. It should start before the end of 2021, once the studies on the modalities of restoration have been completed. An unknown size hovers over this restoration. Identical reconstruction or should we opt for " an inventive reconstruction ", as Emmanuel Macron suggested? No decision has yet been made on the subject.

Regarding the interior of the historic building , it is the diocese of the cathedral which is in charge of " liturgical arrangements ". A working group is reflecting on these questions so that, on this aspect too, " the calendar will be there in 2024 ".

Since the fire, two visions oppose the new face to give to the emblematic cathedral. Between those who plead to rebuild the spire and those who advocate an innovative construction, the debate continues. An " international architectural competition ", the conclusions of which were not drawn, was launched by the government last April, giving way to projects of all sizes. On the roof of the bruised building, it is therefore today impossible to know, what will emerge from these ashes.

► The impossible commemoration of the fire

By Geneviève Delrue

The construction site workers who have been working for the past year to secure the cathedral will not be received this Wednesday, April 15 at the Élysée as planned. Similarly, there will be no concert on the square, nor exhibition of children's drawings sent for Notre-Dame. The Covid-19 is there, and more question on the side of the State, in particular the Ministry of Culture and the Diocese of Paris, to commemorate this event.

What had been experienced collectively as a national drama seems far away with this health crisis and the very difficult tomorrows that lie ahead. It is also more delicate today to evoke the gifts which spontaneously poured in from the still hot ashes of the frame. 375 million were raised for the Cathedral Fund of Paris alone. A sum to which will be added the donations of French patrons.

The Diocese of Paris therefore confined itself to the occasion of Good Friday to a meditation with a few voices inside the cathedral. On the other hand, the bells, which remained silent at Easter, will ring at full speed at 8 p.m. Wednesday April 15, at the same time as citizens from all over France come out to their windows applauding the nursing staff.

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