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The objective of a complete and identical restoration of Notre-Dame-de-Paris Cathedral, victim of a spectacular fire on April 15, 2019, has mobilized energies. Story of a monumental undertaking, punctuated by technical challenges, debates and moments of emotion. A crazy gamble but successful.
The alarm interrupts Mass on Holy Monday, April 15, 2019. It is 6:20 p.m. Visitors and faithful calmly leave Notre-Dame. As a precaution. No one immediately understands that a fire broke out under the roofs, at the level of the spire enclosed in scaffolding erected for its restoration. But everything quickly changes.
Around 7 p.m., when the firefighters arrived, the flames had already engulfed the frame. They devour its beams, most of which date from the 13th century. The lead blanket melts, releasing a thick column of yellow smoke into the Paris sky. She alerts the crowd who flock to the banks of the Seine and the surrounding bridges, hypnotized by “the tragic spectacle” .
Stunned locals and tourists film and photograph the « catastrophe », post on social networks. Express their sadness. Pray too. Before 8 p.m. the incandescent spire collapsed in a clamor of fear. These impressive images are going around the world. No one yet knows if the cathedral will resist.
The structure “weakened” but remained standing
Firefighters are redoubling their efforts to prevent the worst. Without hope for the frame, they fight to stop the fire which reaches the north belfry. Successfully, preventing the bells from falling. The facade, stoic guardian of centuries of history, is preserved. When the fire was completely extinguished the next morning, the spire and roof were gone. Portions of vaults are destroyed, but the structure of the monument, although weakened, remains standing.
Inside, charred stones and beams litter the ground. The smoke further blackened the walls already worn by time. Yet, in the darkness, a light: the large golden cross still shines at the back of the choir. The statues of the Virgin were miraculously spared. Like the stained glass windows, the grand organ and great works of art, only covered in lead dust.
The relics, including the Holy Crown of Thorns, the tunic of Saint-Louis as well as the countless sacred objects of the “treasure” are also saved. Thanks to the intervention of firefighters guided by heritage curators, the whole thing was urgently evacuated, placed in safety at the nearby town hall, then at the Louvre.
The same evening, Emmanuel Macron went there. He announces a national subscription to rebuild Notre-Dame “more beautiful than before”. The next day, he set a deadline of five years, which perplexed some experts. But the surge of solidarity is immediate. Pledges are pouring in from around the world, quickly exceeding…
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