Notre-Dame reincarnate

The long road to restoring Paris's iconic cathedral to its former glory

By Jim Drury

Devout Christians and non-believers alike watched in horror on April 15, 2019 as flames ravaged Paris's 850-year-old Notre-Dame cathedral.

When its famous spire collapsed, along with much of the cathedral's roof, many feared the landmark would be lost forever.

Scroll down to see more photographs from the fire and its aftermath, and find out how restoration plans are going

The Paris fire brigade's heroic efforts were lauded. Brigade chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier braved the flames to rescue sacred relics of the Christian faith - including this Crown of Thorns. Christians believe it was worn by Jesus Christ during his crucifixion.

President Emmanuel Macron visited the scene within hours and set an immediate five-year restoration target, with the aim of completion by the time Paris hosts the 2024 summer Olympics.

Two years later, restoration work has been criticized for being slow, with work not due to be finished until April 2024, five years after the blaze. The fire's cause is still unproven, though investigators reject any idea of foul play. An electrical short-circuit or dropped cigarette are cited as possible explanations.

Before restoration could begin, an enormous clean-up operation was required, while the building also had to be secured. In addition to the careful removal of priceless artefacts, 400 tons of lead from the roof and spire burned during the blaze threatened the collapse of the entire edifice.

Decontamination teams wearing hazmat suits had to use ultra-high pressure water hoses filled with chemical detergent to be vacuumed up, taking toxic lead dust with it.

The clean-up should be finished in the summer, allowing full restoration works to begin in early 2022.

A final budget for the total cost of renovation work is not yet finalized, but Robert Read of London insurer Hiscox recently told Reuters it would be comparable to the $8 billion worth of work being undertaken at the British Parliament buildings.

Just under $1 billion worth of funding was collected in donations after the fire, but this has not been without controversy. Last October the French court of auditors published a report insisting that all donations must not be used to fund the public body overseeing the restoration, but directly fund the cathedral's reconstruction.

The auditors found that the organization running the project was wrongly using $5.8 million in funds to pay the salaries of 40 members of staff, along with other costs.

Worker in decontamination suit directs a mechanical shovel grabbing pieces of destroyed surfacing to gather up the lead particles in the school yard of the adjoining Saint Benoit primary school on August 8, 2019. /Francois Mori /AP

Parts of a destroyed scaffolding are pictured at the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, on July 17, 2019. /Stephane de Sakutin/AP

An aerial shot of damage to the area where the spire was on Notre Dame cathedral, taken the day after the blaze. /Gigarama.ru via AP

Burned rubble seen inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, the day after the blaze. /Christophe Petit Tesson/AP

A competition to find alternative designs for the new cathedral roof proved troublesome. One of the seven final designs, by Ulf Mejergren Architects, proposed including an exterior swimming pool in the shape of a cross. Last July President Macron dropped his unpopular idea of building a modern spire atop the cathedral. The roof will be restored as it was before the fire.

After much deliberation, the decision was taken to rebuild the cathedral’s roof and spire in their original style. After the original spire was removed in 1796, a 91-meter-tall replacement made of wood and lead was installed in 1859.