Juline Garnier 10:21 a.m., April 16, 2022, modified at 10:28 a.m., April 16, 2022

Guest of Jean-Pierre Elkabbach this Saturday morning, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, president of the public establishment responsible for the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, assures that "the cathedral will be reopened to worship and visit in 2024".

At the microphone of Europe 1 and CNews, he also returned to the progress of the work of Notre-Dame de Paris.

INTERVIEW

The cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris will be reopened in 2024. This is what General Jean-Louis Georgelin, in charge of the restoration of the building, repeated this Saturday morning.

Three years after the devastating fire, the work is progressing and Emmanuel Macron's visit has made it possible to make a first observation.

"I think I can say he was impressed. But in any case, he realized all the work that has been done in a year and which allows him to be confident that, as he has requested, this cathedral will be returned to worship and visit in 2024", explains Jean-Louis Georgelin.

The spire rebuilt by 2023

The arrow imagined by Viollet-Le-Duc and destroyed by flames is obviously the most anticipated site in the works.

After the sites to secure the site, it is being rebuilt "identically, as decided by the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture in June", specifies the manager. 

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According to the general, the French will be able to see it appear little by little in the sky of Paris during 2023, thanks to a huge scaffolding 100 meters high.

"It will make it possible to rebuild the spire and we will dismantle it as we go. We will rebuild the vault of the transept which we will close with stones", he explains.

More than 1,000 oaks in preparation

"We have two phases of oak harvesting. We started one more than a year ago. 1,000 oak trees for the spire because the spire is wooden. We went for oak trees of a special size. 45 sawmills throughout France are still working to prepare the oaks, to bring them to Notre-Dame. And in a second phase, we will bring 1,300 oaks for the framework of the nave and the choir", explains General Jean-Louis Georgelin.

Two sarcophagi discovered thanks to the works

During the work, the professionals discovered two lead sarcophagi.

Excavations conducted by the National Institute for Archaeological Research (Inra) were organized on 125m2 in the basement of the transept.

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They have made it possible to find remains of the 13th century rood screen which had been destroyed at the time of Cardinal de Noailles, at the time of Louis XIII.

"We found some interesting pieces. That said, Viollet-le-Duc had already found remains of this rood screen, vestiges which are exhibited in the Louvre", specifies the general.

"We also found a lead sarcophagus, probably from the thirteenth century. It is now in the hands of specialists and we will establish - probably not the identity - but in any case, we will see if it is a canon or if it is is a bishop,” he adds.