The fire of April 15, 2019 "was such a shock, that it allowed the Ministry of Culture to drastically and very ambitiously strengthen the security of cathedrals," said Abdul-Malak, visiting the cathedral of Amiens.
"There are 800 years of history in front of us, we have the responsibility to pass this on to future generations," she added, stressing "the collective awareness that, even in our time, a cathedral can burn."
She announced the acceleration of a "cathedral security plan" launched after the fire of the Parisian building, aimed at protecting not only people but also "the buildings and the works they contain".
The state has devoted more than 167 million euros to cathedrals in 2021 and 2022, "including 25 million euros for security," according to the ministry.
This project will be "amplified" with the mobilization in 2023 of 52 million euros for cathedrals - excluding Notre-Dame de Paris-, 12 million for fire safety and 40 million for restoration work.
If the cathedral of Amiens can boast a "high" level of security, like twenty others, while 62 are at the "regulatory" level, three other cathedrals "still need special efforts" on security, in Bayonne, Rennes and Aire-sur-l'Adour in the Landes, detailed the minister.
Bringing them up to standard by the end of 2023 is a "priority", she insisted.
Generalization of thermal cameras, partitioning of the attic to slow down any spread of fire, removal of unnecessary electrical installations, dry columns to facilitate the intervention of firefighters: safety measures are implemented by the regional directorates of cultural affairs.
And 66 cathedrals now have plans to evacuate works in the event of a disaster, compared to 13 in 2019.
"We have done more in three years, than in the previous thirty years!" assured the minister.
"It's reassuring to see that the State takes care of these places," said the rector of Amiens Cathedral, Régis Evain, recalling that with 800,000 visitors a year, the building was the most visited monument in the city.
The roof of Beauvais Cathedral under repair, October 5, 2022 © François LO PRESTI / AFP/Archives
In addition to security, projects are also underway to restore the buildings, including the repair of the lead roofs of the cathedrals of Clermont-Ferrand and Beauvais, an interior facelift in Cambrai and work on the great organ of Amiens.
Notre-Dame de Paris, whose site, financed by donations, mobilizes 500 people every day, should it find its famous spire before the end of the year for a probable reopening at the end of 2024, had also reaffirmed the minister in an interview posted online Sunday evening by the newspaper La Croix.
© 2023 AFP