The design of the restored Notre-Dame tower will be decided by an international competition

Paris - The reconstruction of the spire of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which collapsed during the fire, will be based on an international architectural competition. This was announced today by Prime Minister Édouard Philippe after a meeting of the French government dedicated exclusively to Monday's tragedy. He suggested that the new spire might not be an exact replica of the old one. Today, a descendant of the architect who created the destroyed spire in the 19th century opposed this.

"The competition will allow us to decide whether it is necessary to reconstruct the spire in an identical form or whether the cathedral should be equipped with a new spire adapted to the techniques and challenges of our time," Philippe was quoted by BFM TV.

The pointed spire, known as the sactuary, was designed and constructed on the roof of the Notre-Dame Cathedral by architect Eugéne Viollet-Le-Duc between 1859 and 1860. His great-great-grandson Jean-Marie Henriquet stated today that it would be "a great shame" if his ancestor's work were not restored. According to him, it would be like "amputating a part of the cathedral that belongs to it." The spire designed by Viollet-Le-Duc, in his view, added elegance to the cathedral from the rear and constituted its "integral part."

Above the nave, there originally stood a 13th-century spire, which was removed between 1786 and 1792. It was in its place that the spire by architect Viollet-Le-Duc was erected in the 19th century.

President Emmanuel Macron said in a television address on Tuesday that he wants the reconstruction of the Gothic monument to be completed within five years. According to the prime minister, this goal represents "a huge challenge." Prime Minister Philippe also added that the authorities have not yet made any estimate of the total cost of reconstruction, according to the AP.

In Monday's fire, the roof of Notre-Dame was completely burned down, and nothing remained of the tower above the intersection of the central and transept naves. A part of the vault also collapsed.

Within less than two days of the outbreak of the fire, hundreds of millions of euros have already been gathered for the restoration of the cathedral. Philippe promised that "every single donated euro will go to the reconstruction, and nothing else." A special committee will oversee the management of these funds, and the government is expected to submit a law within a week that will lay out "especially guarantees of transparency and good management of donations."

The prime minister also thanked the firefighters, whom he called heroes. "History will not forget that the Parisian firefighters saved Notre-Dame and the artistic, historical, and spiritual treasures it sheltered," he said.