After 5 Years, the Scaffolding Is Finally Coming Down From the Refurbished Notre Dame Cathedral
On April 15, 2019, one of Paris's oldest and most iconic structures went up in smoke. A structural fire broke out in the roof of the world-renowned Notre Dame Cathedral, which had towered over the streets of Paris since the 1100s. By the time the flames were finally quenched, the roof, along with the cathedral's famous spire, were completely destroyed, and a large part of the cathedral was significantly damaged. Regardless of religion, millions across the world mourned the destruction of this iconic piece of historic architecture.
But just like the phoenix, the Notre Dame Cathedral would rise up once more from the ashes. After nearly five full years of painstaking restoration work, the scaffolding that surrounded the cathedral finally began to come down on February 13, revealing some beautiful new details.
It's an inspiring sign of hope: years after the cathedral's original spire collapsed in on itself, @abcworldnews revealed the brand new spire, triumphantly towering above the steadily-disappearing scaffolding. Before the fire, Notre Dame's spire was topped with a copper rooster. Now, that rooster has been rewrought in gold, its feathers aflame to represent the cathedral's magnificent rebirth from the ashes.
The rest of the roof will be slowly revealed as the rest of the scaffolding is taken down, though this in itself will be a major undertaking. According to CBS News, the spire alone was protected by 70,000 pieces of scaffolding, weighing around 600 tons. They anticipated that it may take weeks, if not months, to completely remove the rest of the scaffolding. The process will slowly but surely reveal the newly restored roof bit by bit until the cathedral finally reopens next December, building up anticipation across the City of Lights.
Notre Dame's Monumental Restoration Project
Shortly after Notre Dame burned in April 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that the world-famous cathedral would be rebuilt within five years. At the time, experts were skeptical of Macron's grandiose promise. Medieval historians and architectural experts estimated that a full restoration would take closer to 15-20 years, according to Afar Media. However, Macron wanted to see the cathedral back to its full glory by the 2024 Summer Olympics, and so, a deadline was set.
Unfortunately, the restoration project hit a snag early on when the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing lockdowns and further delaying reconstruction. However, work began again before the end of 2020, and restoration experts did their best to make up for lost time.
Thanks in part to covid delays, the official reopening of Notre Dame will overshoot Macron's promised deadline by a few months, but the project's completion still impressively beat the odds. It took a gargantuan effort: the restoration cost close to a billion dollars USD, and according to CNN, employed the services of nearly 250 companies and art workshops across France. Finally, we are beginning to see the fruits of all that labor, and before the end of the year, all will be revealed. Notre Dame is currently set to reopen on December 8, 2024- just in time for Christmas services.
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