© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit renovation works at Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral on Friday (November 29) ahead of its reopening on December 7, five and a half years after a devastating fire destroyed its roof and spire and caused major damage throughout.
Here is what you need to know:
A medieval Gothic masterpiece, Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) is one of the French capital’s most beloved and visited monuments. Its rib vaulting, flying buttresses, stunning stained-glass windows and carved stone gargoyles have long been celebrated in books and movies.
The first stone was laid in 1163, and construction continued for much of the next century, with major restoration and additions made in the 17th and 18th century.
Victor Hugo used the cathedral as a setting for his 1831 novel, “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”. Quasimodo, the main character, has been portrayed by Hollywood actors including Charles Laughton and also in an animated Disney adaptation.
On the evening of April 15, 2019, the cathedral’s roof burst into flames. Soon, the fire had engulfed the spire and almost toppled the main bell towers. Around the world, TV viewers watched with horror as the medieval building burned. The roof collapsed but the bell towers and facade held. It remains unclear what exactly caused the fire. French authorities have said an electrical fault or a burning cigarette may have been responsible.
President Emmanuel Macron will give a speech in front of the cathedral on December 7 after which Paris’ Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will use his crozier to knock on the cathedral’s heavy doors.
From within the cathedral, a psalm will be sung three times in response to the knocking, after which the doors will open. The archbishop will bless the cathedral’s ancient organ before it starts playing. This will be followed by a service.
The service is invitation-only and the guest list is not yet known. It will be followed by a show broadcast from the cathedral square, for which details are also not yet available.
Money poured in from all over the world, including from French luxury sector billionaires Francois Henri Pinault and the Arnault family. So much money has been donated – more than 840 million euros ($882 million), according to Macron’s office – that there will even be funds left over for further investment in the building. The damage has needed five years’ worth of restoration work.
Officials say the cathedral will be more beautiful than ever, not only because the spire, roof and anything else destroyed by the fire was rebuilt by thousands of expert craftspeople, but also because the stone and paintings, which had blackened over the years, have been thoroughly cleaned. The furniture was also renovated and cleaned, or replaced.
Not everything was damaged in the fire. For instance, emergency workers formed a human chain to whisk gem-studded chalices and other priceless artefacts out of harm’s way.
