“The most urgent thing now is to restore the apse of the cathedral”, Philippe Jost, Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris

The Notre-Dame reopening ceremonies ended on Sunday December 15 with a mass dedicated to its rescuers, the firefighters and companions. Why was this important?

We had already been able to experience moments such as the visit of the President of the Republic on November 29, who came to greet and thank all the companions and all those involved in the recovery of the cathedral, the opening ceremony of December 7 and the first mass the next day. But for a long time, we had agreed with the diocese to organize this mass on December 15.

We wanted to have a moment between us, more intimate. What we have experienced together over the past five years has created great closeness. After the service, we brought together some 1,500 companions around a “family meal” on the construction site. This reopening period allowed us to share both joy and great emotion. I would even dare to speak of a moment of happiness.

For some of these companions, the task is not finished. They will return in particular to finish the roof of the spire. Why could this work not be completed for reopening?

This planning of the work had been planned for a long time, knowing that the ambition has always been that, for the reopening set for December 8, the restoration of the interior of the cathedral would be completely completed. We did not just want to allow temporary access to the place, with a cosmetic but incomplete repair and then close it and leave for months of work. It was supposed to be permanent, which it was.

To rebuild the spire and close the breach in the large vault caused by its collapse during the fire, we had to install a large scaffolding in the building. During the preliminary studies, it was decided not to stress the walls of the cathedral but to place the necessary scaffolding on the floor of the transept crossing. This 600-ton structure made it possible to reach up to 100 m in height to rebuild the wooden frame of the spire, make the lead cover for its needle, then close the vault by restoring the oculus of the transept crossing with its painted canvas depicting the Virgin.

On the morning of Sunday, December 15, 2024, a mass was celebrated in honor of the Paris firefighters and the companions of some 250 companies, who participated in saving the monument during and after the fire of April 15, 2019. © Yannick Boschat / Diocese of Paris.

Last July, we dismantled this scaffolding, as planned, to free up space, finalize the installation of the black and white paving, install the large step of the liturgical platform and its furniture, including the altar.

Today it remains to cover the base of the spire; for this, all that is needed is a much lighter scaffolding and, this time, exterior. It is currently being assembled on the gutter walls and should be ready at the beginning of January. The arrow reconstruction work will thus be completed during the second quarter of 2025, knowing that we have new organizational constraints. Therefore, for safety reasons, we can no longer crane loads above the building when it is open to the public, but only early in the morning.

Are there any other interventions to be carried out to finalize this stage of reconstruction?

We aim to reopen in 2025, around summer, the tour circuit of the western massif, that is to say the towers. We are in the process of completing the consolidation of the belfry of the south tower, that is to say the wooden structure which carries the bells.

In reality, before the fire, Notre-Dame, in many of its components, needed a major work campaign.

Philippe Jost

During the fire, only the north tower was damaged. This is also where the firefighters won the fire battle. Since then, the belfry has been restored but we noted that the south belfry, although it had not been affected by the disaster, was in poor condition. In reality, before April 15, 2019, Notre-Dame, in many of its components, needed a major work campaign.

Once the projects you have just described are completed, you will still have some of the donations that were collected after the fire. What will they be dedicated to?

Indeed, of the 846 million euros donated mainly in the days following the fire, we still have around 140 million today. Last year, we asked donors if they agreed to continue supporting the cathedral with the work to be planned, even if it was no longer a question of repairing the damage caused by the disaster.

This sum will be used to carry out the project which is considered the most urgent: the restoration of the bedside. Its stone decorations, eaten away by time, have lost their integrity: pinnacles have been reduced to half their height, sculptures are split. This will all have to be redone.

This area around the choir even potentially presents structural problems. It is therefore estimated that many of its large, very fine flying buttresses must be replaced. There is nothing exceptional about such an intervention. We can consider that it relates to the maintenance of such a building. Moreover, in the 19th century, Viollet-le-Duc had already largely rebuilt the flying buttresses. So we’ll start there. Calls for tenders will be launched during the first quarter of 2025 to quickly start this project.

At the end of the mass on December 15, the diocese of Paris presented a medal to the firefighters and companions who worked to save Notre-Dame. © Marie-Douce Albert / Le Moniteur.

Next, we are carrying out diagnostics to assess the relative urgency of various operations. We already know that the exterior of the sacristy needs to be restored. This part dates from the 1850s and its sculpted decorations are very damaged. On the other hand, it does not present any structural disorders.

Studies are underway to assess the condition of the three large roses, those of the facades of the two transepts and that of the main facade, and we are also interested in the facades of the transepts. Their gables, badly damaged by the heat of the fire, were completely rebuilt but for the rest of their masonry, nothing was done. By mid-2025, we will be able to take stock and establish the order in which these projects must be carried out.

For the moment, we know that three years of work await us.

Philippe Jost

Will the 140 million be enough to finance all of this?

We are almost sure of being able to finance the bedside project but the total needs will exceed this amount. We will therefore have to appeal again to public generosity and launch new fundraising campaigns. In any case, we know that, for the moment, three years of work await us.

So the reopening of the cathedral does not mean the closure of the Rebâtir Notre-Dame de Paris public establishment that you direct?

It is certain that the establishment will be responsible for this new phase of restorations, including that of the bedside, and the use of its 140 million euros. We are the right management tool, we guarantee perfect traceability of the use of funds and have established a relationship of great trust with patrons.

As long as Notre-Dame requires a sustained pace of work, we remain the appropriate structure. The law and the decree which allowed the creation of the establishment do not specify the end date of its mission. Its closure will take place at the appropriate time. For the moment, we are continuing our work, especially since we now have another function.

Which ?

For a little over a week since the cathedral has reopened, we have been ensuring its maintenance but also its fire safety. A new protection system, based in particular on a misting device but also on other completely innovative equipment, has been installed. It was therefore up to us to recruit the competent teams to ensure surveillance of the cathedral. But, on this subject too, there will come a time when we will pass the baton.

Personally, I hope that the Notre-Dame museum project can come to fruition.

Philippe Jost

Is it also up to the public establishment to work on the creation of the future Notre-Dame museum which could be located within the neighboring Hôtel-Dieu?

This idea is progressing and, personally, I hope that it can come to fruition. This project, which would allow us to better understand everything that Notre-Dame is, its history and its soul, as well as to promote the fine know-how that makes it possible to maintain the cathedrals, makes a lot of sense. But managing a museum is not one of the missions of our establishment.

With the work that you are going to carry out, to which will be added the transformation of the square and the rehabilitation of Square Jean-XXIII led by the Paris town hall, Notre-Dame will still retain its character as a perpetual construction site…

Other cathedrals live like this: Strasbourg, Beauvais, Reims, Chartres… This means that funds are available for these buildings to be maintained. In fact, it is more when there is no construction site that it is a bad sign. That said, we hope to reach a stage where Notre-Dame de Paris, after having benefited from these work campaigns, will be able to do without major operations for a few years.