Notre-Dame, a heritage to pass on

The challenge of Notre-Dame is still and always the story of a centuries-old tradition, but even more the story of a transmission. Like a treasure to be preserved, the tradition of this heritage must be transmitted, so as not to disappear. Should we remember that Victor Hugo undoubtedly contributed to the first rescue of Notre-Dame de Paris, thanks to his 1831 novel which transformed the way we viewed the cathedral, then in great danger and deeply neglected… Two centuries later, On April 15, 2019, Our Lady appeared to us like the Phoenix, which we believe we see dying, and which is reborn from its ashes. Despite its vicissitudes and the trials it has undergone, Notre-Dame remains a living building, and everyone was able to measure the immense emotion during the fire, and the will which arose to contribute to the rebirth of the cathedral, to its resurrection.

The Notre Dame Foundation, the cathedral’s main financier

A providential influx of donations from all over the world made it possible to raise €840 million in total. The cathedral's main financier, the Notre Dame Foundation, collected the majority in cash, i.e. €340 million through the Cathedral Fund. Thus propelled to the forefront five years ago, the Notre Dame Foundation was able to demonstrate on a large scale its expertise in fundraising for a major heritage restoration. Donors keen to bring “their little stone to the building” expressed their wish to “be able to come back again and see Notre-Dame standing” and above all to “allow (their) children and grandchildren to have this heritage and continue to preserve it. »

Statue of the Virgin of the Pillar, miraculously preserved from destruction on the evening of the Notre-Dame fire on April 15, 2019. © Pascal Lemaitre / Notre-Dame de Paris

Successive collection stages for a complex restoration

The first stage of collection, launched by State subscription the day after the fire, made it possible to finance security during phase 1, then the restoration of the building, in phase 2. This consisted in particular of repair the damage caused by the fire to the cathedral: repair of the framework and the spire, destroyed by the fire, decontamination and cleaning of the building. Phase 3, which will be launched after the reopening, aims to restore the exterior elevations of the apse, the sacristy and the North and South transepts. Another collection is underway, supported by the Cathedral Fund for the needs of the diocese of Paris, recipient of the cathedral, to finance the interior fittings and public reception facilities, with another €500,000 to be raised by the end of 2024.

On December 8, Notre-Dame will once again open its doors to the faithful, pilgrims and visitors from all over the world who are impatiently awaiting the end of the titanic construction site. © DR

A long-term issue for Notre-Dame

This program includes in particular the liturgical furniture, but also the mediation journey, the mobile application, the signage, and other reception systems at Notre-Dame for all audiences, with an estimate of 15 million visitors per year. The cathedral will reopen its doors on December 8, and gradually resume the scale of its activities. But the subject is far from being closed, because the Notre-Dame construction site and its restoration work are not yet finished. If the damage from the fire has been repaired, the need to remedy the lack of maintenance remains a priority for the sustainability of the cathedral. The project will therefore continue in 2025 – with the third phase of restoration work – in order to remedy the remaining points of fragility of Notre-Dame.

1,500 chairs were produced by the French manufacturer Bosc. Designed by Ionna Vautrin, the new seats will integrate lightly and discreetly into the architecture of the place. © Ionna Vautrin

The cathedral, a treasure to be preserved for future generations

It cannot be emphasized enough that the restoration was entirely financed by donations. The fire at Notre-Dame was an awareness of the strong bond each person can have with the cathedral, which was made concrete through numerous contributions. Attentive to “raising men as much as stones”, the Notre Dame Foundation was also able to make its other actions carried out in favor of mutual aid and education more widely known, through sheltered funds and foundations, and benefit from the donor support. This scope of intervention aimed at people in precarious situations, fragility and disabilities is fully consistent with the Christian values which have animated the cathedral since its origin: a place of welcome, refuge for the poor and those who suffer. Notre-Dame crosses the centuries, timeless, like a treasure to be preserved, a gift for future generations. More than ever, we must revive Notre-Dame, work for its influence, again and again.