China News Agency, Paris, July 9 (Reporter Li Yang) The French Presidential Palace announced on the evening of 9th local time that President Macron expressed his support for the reconstruction of the spire of Notre Dame de Paris.
The Presidential Palace stated that Macron is now "sure" that the Notre Dame Cathedral and its spire "must be restored." He expressed support for the view of Philippe Villeneuve, chief architect of Notre Dame Cathedral, hoping to rebuild the spire as it is.
The Presidential Palace stated that Macron trusted experts and approved the outline of the reconstruction plan proposed by Villeneuve, which will rebuild the Notre Dame spire in the same way.
Earlier in the day, the new Minister of Culture Bashero expressed a similar view. She said that the spire of Notre Dame has been reconstructed as it is and has achieved "wide consensus" in French society.
The French National Heritage and Architecture Commission also agreed on the same day that the reconstruction project will restore the original status of Notre Dame de Paris, and stated that the plan to rebuild the spire of Notre Dame de Paris in a modern way is "no longer on the agenda."
Some analysts believe that when architects compete internationally, the entire process of designing new spires may cause delays in reconstruction. Macron hopes that Notre Dame will return to its former glory by 2024, especially to catch up with the Paris Olympics in 2024.
However, Macron did not completely abandon his idea of contemporary design style. The Presidential Palace stated that it is possible to add modernity to the design of Notre Dame’s surroundings. Macron had previously expressed support for adding some modern elements to Notre Dame Cathedral. The French government once considered redesigning the spire.
On April 15, last year, Notre Dame was hit by fire. The entire building was seriously damaged, most of the top was burned, and the spire collapsed in the fire. Due to the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, weather and lead pollution, the reconstruction work has been delayed repeatedly. The demolition of Notre Dame’s scaffolding began on June 8 and will last for several months. (Finish)