Emmanuel Macron will go to Notre-Dame de Paris for a final site visit, one week before the official reopening. This morning, the President of the Republic will meet 1,300 people who have worked on what is already nicknamed the “construction site of the century”.
On April 15, 2019, Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral was still standing, but barely. She had almost collapsed and her arrow had fallen. The interior was ravaged, rubble covered the ground and the sky could be seen through the vaults. That day, Emmanuel Macron promised to restore it in five years. He kept his promise. Difficult negotiations took place to find out whether the Church or the Republic would once again open the building to the world.
This site visit is a compromise. The President will be accompanied by the Archbishop of the capital, Mgr Ulrich, and he will be welcomed outside by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. He will then wander for a long time through the building, passing by the nave, the transept crossing, the wish of Louis XIII, the statue of the Virgin on the pillar, the framework and a chapel. With, as during a Stations of the Cross, what we call stations.
Each time, he will have an interview time with a speaker. He will meet the architect who rebuilt the vaults, a stonemason who resurrected the statues, a carpenter will tell him how the ancient oak forest which supports the roof was rebuilt. In the Saint-Marcel chapel, a decoration restorer will share how, with her twelve colleagues, she restored colors to the wall.
In all, 1,300 of the approximately 2,000 craftsmen who worked on the building will be present. For Emmanuel Macron, who, despite the success of the Olympic Games, has experienced many setbacks in recent months, this will be his hour of glory.
He will deliver a speech of thanks addressed to the workers, businesses and donors who worked to make this gigantic project a success. The Élysée has already communicated, affirming that everyone thought that this commitment would be difficult to keep. Proof has been made today that not only was it possible, but that deep down, everyone wanted it.
It will also be an opportunity to show that France, unlike other countries, has managed to maintain, in the 21st century, companies specializing in artistic crafts and heritage. The day after the fire, dozens of them offered their services, including several Belgians who intervened, for example, in the consolidation of the building and the restoration of the large organs. However, their 8,000 pipes will not resonate this morning. We can understand it, we have to keep a little spectacular for the real inauguration.
Signed Giltay Notre-Dame macron
