Three years after fire that devastated it, the cathedral of Notre Dame de Pariss has recovered its original whiteness thanks to the daily work of an army of artisans and it is expected that it can reopen its doors in 2024.
“The dusting and cleaning of the interior of the vaults, the walls and the floor”, which should be completed shortly, as well as the preparation of the vaults for their reconstruction, “have returned the cathedral to its original whiteness”, affirms the public body in charge of the restoration project.
The third anniversary of the fire is next Fridayyes Before the fire, the cathedral received almost 12 million visitors, there were 2,400 masses and 150 concerts a year.
On April 15, 2019, a gigantic fire devastated this masterpiece of gothic artcausing the collapse of its frame, its famous needle, its clock and part of its vault, destroyed by flames, before the astonished gaze of millions of people around the world.
The huge hole left in the building it has been replaced by scaffolding that also covers the sides.
The titanic work began in April 2019 with the tasks to ensure the stability of the building, including the placement of falsework in the 28 buttresses, the dismantling of the scaffolding that surrounded the needle, the removal of debris or the decontamination of the 450 tons of lead, some of which ended up in the atmosphere.
This “important stage” was carried out under important security measures and was completed in mid-2021, at a total cost of €151 million ($163 million).
The catastrophe triggered an unprecedented wave of generosity, with almost 844 million euros ($913 million) in donations so far, coming from 340,000 donors from 150 countries, according to the public body in charge of the restoration project.
Parallel to the works on the cathedral, restoration work continues in artisan workshops throughout France.
With information from AFP
KAH
