“A construction site like I have never seen”, testifies a craftsman from Dordogne

“I am closer to retirement than to the start of my career,” Xavier Puybaraud modestly slips, before agreeing to reveal his age (59) and a little of his solid experience as an artistic ironworker. “I have always done that and I have worked at the Atelier d'oeuvres de forge (AOF) in Hautefort since its creation in 1994.” So, when the small Dordogne company was selected to participate in the incredible renaissance of Notre-Dame de Paris (1), it therefore seemed almost natural for him to embark on this extraordinary project, in March 2022, and two years of work.

“Obviously proud” of this experience, Xavier Puybaraud mainly worked in his forge in the Dordogne to offer a makeover to the 96 railings of the stands (the upper part) of the nave and the transept, dismantled and reassembled by AOF. “These pieces were mostly weathered, a little twisted, but more from time than from the fire. They had not been affected by the fire,” testifies the expert.

Four showers per day

His missions on site led him to intervene “for example on the locks of the ground gates”. “It’s a project like I’ve never seen in terms of organization,” he says. Everything is very structured. Nothing should enter or leave without being decontaminated, including people [pour limiter les risques de contamination au plomb, NDLR]. We have to take four showers a day, before starting work, going to lunch, coming back and leaving again. »

This may seem anecdotal but we had to juggle “days of four to five hours of actual work”, says his boss Thomas Holt. He was still at Notre-Dame on Monday, November 25 for final adjustments: “A screw here, a lick of paint there. »

(1) The group formed by AOF (manager), the Atelier de Ricou and the Chant-Viron Establishment won the call for tenders launched by the public establishment Rebâtir Notre-Dame de Paris, project owner , based on studies carried out by the project management for the grilles and guardrails.