The iconic Notre-Dame cathedral "rose from the ashes" for five and a half years

Paris – It is one of the symbols of Paris. The Notre-Dame Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, is considered one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic architecture in the world. Located on the Île de la Cité in the Seine River, it is protected by UNESCO and was famously celebrated in Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. However, in mid-April 2019, a devastating fire ravaged the cathedral. During the subsequent reconstruction of its roof, medieval techniques were used to honor the original builders of the cathedral. President Emmanuel Macron promised the restoration of the cathedral within five years immediately after the fire, but the repairs ended up taking a little longer. Now, on Sunday, December 8, this breathtaking masterpiece will reopen to the public. Before the fire, it attracted about 13 million visitors annually.

The cathedral caught fire on the evening of April 15, 2019. The fire spread through the roof and consumed vast sections of the medieval building. Before firefighters extinguished the blaze the following morning, the flames had destroyed the roof, the framing, and the 19th-century spire, known as the flèche. The flames also damaged part of the vaulting and roof covering. The interior of the cathedral was spared more severe damage thanks to the stone vaulted ceiling, which largely held the burning roof in place after its collapse.

The disaster may have been caused by an electrical malfunction or a discarded cigarette, but the exact cause remains unclear. According to investigators, no one intentionally set fire to the cathedral. Its damage required years of renovation work involving about 500 workers. The restoration costs of 550 million euros (approximately 14 billion CZK) were partially covered by donations from billionaires like Francois Henri Pinault and the Arnault family. Some funds even remained for further investments into the building.

Repairs were slowed down by complications during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the necessity to clear the surrounding area of toxic lead dust released from the structure during the fire, totaling several dozen tons of lead. The actual restoration of the cathedral began in 2021. The manufacturing of parts for the clock mechanism in the cathedral, which was destroyed in the fire, was taken over by a watch factory in St. Petersburg, known to Czechs and Slovaks during the Soviet era under the Raketa brand. They repaired the clock mechanism created by Collin in 1867, which had managed the movement of the hands on four dials in the Parisian cathedral until the fire.

At the end of summer 2022, the repair of the roof structure and vaulting began. Techniques for processing wood that were introduced more than 800 years ago during the construction of this monument were used. Working with axes to produce hundreds of tons of oak beams for the framing of the new roof of Notre-Dame was like a trip back in time for the carpenters. They wished to pay tribute to the overwhelming craftsmanship of the original builders of the cathedral and ensure that the centuries-old art of handcrafting wood would live on.

In May of last year, large sections of the new wooden roof structure were assembled and erected in a workshop in the Loire Valley in western France. For this, 1200 oaks were carefully selected, which were hand-felled by the carpenters. The several-ton structure was transported to the center of the French capital by boat on the Seine River, interrupting other boating traffic for several hours due to its size. The new framing of the cathedral is also made of oak beams, consisting of three triangular parts measuring 15 by 12 meters and weighing seven tons. A crane lifted the framing from the boat to the cathedral.

The destroyed 19th-century spire was replaced by restorers and workers with a faithful replica created based on the designs of the original author, the French architect Eugène Viollet-Le-Duc. Last December, the cathedral received a cross on this new spire. At the same time, President Macron visited the cathedral and stated that modern stained glass windows should appear in its windows. However, his statement sparked a wave of public outrage, and preservationists rejected this concept earlier this summer. Macron wanted to imprint a "21st-century mark" on the building with the new stained glass. Critics argue that glass decorations only make sense in their original location, not somewhere in a museum, as they are part of the architectural intent.

The last works inside the cathedral involved, among other things, tuning the massive organ with 8000 pipes, which is the largest musical instrument in France. The first mass since the fire was held in June 2019 in one of the side chapels, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which was spared by the fire. A small service also took place in the cathedral on Easter. At the beginning of November, the bells rang out in the cathedral again, and in mid-November, the famous statue of the Virgin Mary with the child returned during a ceremonial light procession attended by hundreds of people.

This remarkable structure has an imposing history. Its cornerstone was laid on the Île de la Cité in the Seine River in the spring of 1163 during a visit by Pope Alexander III to the city. However, construction had already been underway for several years by that time. And the building of the sanctuary, initiated by Paris Bishop Maurice de Sully, took nearly two centuries to complete, until 1345.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral, located practically in the center of Paris, was designated for the grandest celebrations, while regular services were held in smaller churches. It was only opened to the public during major holidays. This is why Napoleon chose Notre-Dame for his imperial coronation in 1804, symbolically cutting ties with the monarchy.

Just a few years earlier, during the French Revolution, the cathedral faced destruction, but it was ultimately saved, although a frenzied mob seriously damaged the cathedral and its decorations. It underwent significant restoration in the 1840s to 1860s. The statues of various chimeras and devils that overlooked the towers of the cathedral, often mistakenly considered a testament to medieval art, actually come from this time. However, they were created in his workshop by preservationist and architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc.

In 2013, when the 850th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone was celebrated, the cathedral received new bells for the first time in two centuries; its bell tower had been incomplete since the days of the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. Notre-Dame, which also played a significant role in the life of the film Amélie from Montmartre, is one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Paris. According to available data, over 35,000 people visited it each day. However, this also led to the cathedral deteriorating rapidly, prompting preservationists to call for extensive repairs in recent years. The fire at Notre-Dame is also the subject of the film by director Jean-Jacques Annaud titled Notre-Dame on Fire, released in 2022.