France hopes to replace Notre Dame spire by end of 2023

Issuance of: 2023/03/02 – 17:36

The Ministry of Culture, which is in charge of the cathedral’s structure, said the reconstruction work is progressing “at a good pace”, but the cathedral will not be open in time. olympic gameswill take place in Paris in July and August 2024.

Before the 2019 fire that destroyed the roof, spire, and much of the 12th-century building’s structure, Notre-Dame typically attracted 12 million visitors each year.

This week, preparatory work began for the replacement of the 100-meter spire, seen as a key milestone on the road to reopening.

The spire, lost in 2019, was not part of the original design, but was added by architect Eugene Viollet-Le-Duc during a major 19th-century renovation.

The replacement is an identical copy of the Violet-Le-Duc design, 500 tons of oak 250 tons of lead were used in the structure and 250 tons of lead in the cover and decoration.

Health Concerns About Lead

The decision to use lead in reconstruction raised health concernsFrench officials have a duty to reassure European officials that appropriate safety measures are in place.

In the meantime painstaking cleaning of the inner walls of the cathedral totaling 42,000 m², Has completed. Workers are also meticulously cleaning murals, ironwork, joinery, stained glass and sculptures that survived the fire.

A temporary hangar was built in front of the main façade to house a team of sculptors working to restore and replace hundreds of statues.

The new interior design is being considered through an international competition, and the winning plan is expected to be decided this summer.

A controversial plan adopted last year would allow contemporary art among the works displayed in the cathedral.

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris recently said he wanted “an educational and spiritual journey, not the equivalent of a museum.”