The rooster regained its place on Saturday at the top of Notre-Dame de Paris, a strong new symbol for the cathedral ravaged by flames in 2019 and which is due to reopen in less than a year.
An emblematic piece of Notre-Dame, the rooster was blessed on the ground on Saturday afternoon by the Archbishop of Paris, Monseigneur Laurent Ulrich. Then it was transported by crane to the top of the spire, 96 meters high, under the capital’s sun.
It is a new golden rooster, designed by the chief architect of French historical monuments Philippe Villeneuve. The previous one was too damaged during the fire which ravaged on April 15, 2019 the monument associated worldwide with Paris, in the same way as the Eiffel Tower.
“Moved”Philippe Villeneuve described this new rooster “with wings of fire”Who “reminds that the cathedral can rise from its ashes like the phoenix”.
In Christianity, the rooster symbolizes the return of light after night. But this gallinaceous, which is one of the emblems of France, is dear to the French. We find it on the jerseys of national football and rugby teams, for example.
This new cathedral rooster contains relics saved from the fire, precious to Catholics. And another sealed tube was placed there, with the names of almost 2,000 people involved in the reconstruction of the cathedral.
“A human adventure”
It is “an unparalleled human adventure”greeted Philippe Jost, who heads the public establishment responsible for the project.
On December 8, President Emmanuel Macron went there, one year to the day before the planned reopening of the cathedral, to which he intends to invite Pope Francis. The President of the Republic had notably announced that the former rooster was going to take his place in “a museum of the work of Notre-Dame de Paris”which should see the light of day nearby, on the Île de la Cité.
The spectacular fire that occurred in 2019 in this masterpiece of Gothic art and the fall of the spire live on news channels and social networks caused global emotion. And an equally significant outpouring of solidarity: 848 million euros in donations poured in from all over the world, financing the restoration of the cathedral.
The month of December was decisive in the progress on the Notre-Dame construction site. On December 6, the cathedral found its cross, affixed to the top of its spire, the silhouette of which can be seen behind the scaffolding.
The next step is that of the lead covering of the arrow, a matter which gives rise to numerous debates, but Philippe Jost recently wanted to be reassuring before the Cultural Affairs Committee of the National Assembly which was hearing him.
Objective, 14 million visitors
He thus explained that “the cloud of lead following the fire, which sparked intense controversy and complaints from local residents, did not visibly cause any contamination”. He adds that a new device and “experimental treatment of runoff water” was deployed “in order to put in place the most suitable sustainable system”.
During the Paris Olympics in the summer of 2024 (July 26-August 11), the spire and the familiar silhouette of Notre-Dame, currently surrounded by scaffolding and flanked by cranes, are hoped for.
Finally, Mr. Jost promised an innovative fire-fighting system in the cathedral. Four and a half years after the disaster, the accidental route remains favored.
When it reopens, scheduled for December 8, 2024, Notre-Dame de Paris must be able to welcome 14 million visitors, two million more than before the fire.