Emmanuel Macron became an inspector of the (almost) finished work on Friday: five years after a devastating fire, the reopening of Paris Cathedral is planned in just one year, on November 8, 2024.
Six contemporary stained glass windows, a new spire, a frame made in France, and a guest of honor: Pope Francis.
One year before the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Emmanuel Macron visited the construction site of the century this Friday to see the progress of the work, five years after the spectacular fire which had almost swallowed up one of the most prestigious jewels of French architectural heritage.
If the schedule does not suffer from further delays, the reopening of Notre-Dame to worship and the public is scheduled for December 8, 2024.
The new arrow, which, at an altitude of 96 meters, has reappeared in recent days under the scaffolding, should once again be accessible (its rooster must soon be repositioned at its summit after having been blessed according to Catholic tradition).
“We meet deadlines”welcomed the President of the Republic, who had set an ambitious timetable for reconstruction in five years. “It’s a fantastic image of hope and of a France that knows how to rebuild,” he added to the press.
He mentioned “a moment both important and moving” which testifies to “extraordinary progress” of “this project which seemed impossible”.
Emmanuel Macron symbolically gave the last stroke of the chisel to the inscription, in the wood of the arrow, of the name of “his general”, Jean-Louis Georgelin, whom he had initially charged with carrying out this titanic project and who died last summer.
“The general was known and loved on this site and we know what we owe him”slipped his successor Philippe Jost, evoking a site loaded with “symbols”.
Six contemporary stained glass windows will bear “the mark of the 21st century”
The President of the Republic, accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron, then went to the nave and choir of the cathedral which are beginning to be cleared of their scaffolding.
The president took advantage of this visit to announce that contemporary stained glass windows would be made to carry “the brand of the 21st century” at Notre-Dame de Paris.
In a letter sent this week, Mgr Laurent Ulrich, Archbishop of Paris, confirmed his “wish” to see the State order “a series of six stained glass windows for the south side chapels of the nave”.
“I fully subscribe to it,” Emmanuel Macron responded on Friday. “It is with my full agreement that we are going to launch a competition which will allow contemporary artists to submit, on the basis of an order that will be placed, a figurative work”he added.
According to him, “the century which is ours will have its place among several others which appear in the works of this cathedral”symbol of Gothic art which he also decided to have reconstructed “Alike”.
A Notre-Dame museum
As for the old stained glass windows dating from Viollet-le-Duc, the Head of State also indicated that they were going to be removed as well as the rooster which fell on April 15, 2019 in the collapse of the spire. These elements “will take place in a museum of the work of Notre-Dame de Paris” who will see the light of day “in the premises of the Hôtel-Dieu”nearby on the Île de la Cité.
Emmanuel Macron also specified that Pope Francis was going to be invited to the inauguration of the cathedral.
Before the disaster of April 15, 2019, the cathedral attracted some 12 million visitors on average each year.
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