Macron insists that Notre-Dame be restored by 2024

Paris - French President Emmanuel Macron insists that the restoration of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris will be completed by 2024. The head of the Élysée Palace said this today in a video released on the occasion of the first anniversary of the fire that severely damaged the Gothic temple. Reconstruction work was completely halted in March due to the spread of the coronavirus.

"I promised that we would restore Notre-Dame in five years. And I will do everything to meet this deadline," Macron assured in a statement. Although work on the cathedral is currently halted due to the coronavirus, according to the president, workers will return to the construction site as soon as possible.

The Parisian cathedral caught fire on the evening of April 15 last year. Before firefighters extinguished it the following morning, the fire destroyed the roof, the framework, and the spire from the 19th century. The fire was likely caused by an electrical short circuit or a poorly extinguished cigarette butt. According to investigators, no one intentionally set the temple on fire.

According to the French president, the reconstruction of the Parisian cathedral is a "symbol of resilience" of the French people and their ability to endure tough times and rise again. In his speech, the president also expressed gratitude to all who participated in the rescue of the cathedral and to those who contributed to its restoration.

According to former Chief of the General Staff of the French Army Jean-Louis Georgelin, whom Macron commissioned some time ago to coordinate the reconstruction of the Parisian temple, 188 million euros (over five billion CZK) have already been raised in various fundraising accounts for the repair. Following last year's fire, various donors pledged a total of 902 million euros (24.4 billion CZK). Georgelin said today that he has no doubt that the promised funds will arrive.

Shortly after the fire on April 15 last year, Macron promised that the reconstruction would be completed within five years. Even then, many experts warned against too rapid a reconstruction, and others doubted whether such a monumental task could be accomplished in five years at all.

General Georgelin, however, believes that despite delays due to the pandemic, the work can still be completed by 2024. "Our goal is to prepare the cathedral for mass on April 16, 2024," he told Reuters. "Of course, this does not mean that everything will be completed by then," he added.