Macron hails ‘impossible’ recovery efforts

France’s Emmanuel Macron has praised workers for completing the “impossible” task of restoring Paris’ Notre Dame cathedral after a massive fire engulfed the Gothic gem in 2019.

On Friday, the world got its first look inside the stunning new Notre Dame Cathedral as Mr Macron took a televised tour to mark the cathedral’s imminent reopening.

Five and a half years after a devastating fire, Paris’s Gothic gem has been rescued, renovated and refurbished – and it’s giving visitors a breathtaking visual experience.

In a speech to the craftsmen and women involved in the refurbishment, Mr Macron said: “The fire at Notre Dame is a national wound and you have found a way to heal the wound.” That is through will, work and commitment.”

“I am extremely grateful, France is extremely grateful,” the president said in his speech, adding: “you have brought Notre Dame back.”

Macron – along with his wife Brigitte and Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich – began a program of ceremonies that culminated in the official “entry” into the cathedral on December 7 and the first Catholic Mass the next day.

As he entered the renovated cathedral, Mr Macron said it had now been “repaired, reconstructed and rebuilt”.

“It’s amazing,” he said.

He was then shown highlights of the building’s 700m euro (£582m) renovation – including giant wooden panels on the roof that replaced medieval frames burned down in fire.

Before Macron’s visit, Notre Dame’s revamped interior had been kept a closely guarded secret – only a few images published over the years marked the progress of the renovation work.

I got a glimpse inside on Friday and what I saw was enough to convince me that it was a breathtaking experience. There is a new look to this cathedral.

This was not just a renovation or rebuilding of the structure of the roof, but also a clean-up of the dirt and soot inside since the last restoration in the 1850s.

On the evening of April 15, 2019, Viewers around the world watched in amazement as live images of orange flames spread along the cathedral’s roofand then – at the height of the fire – the 19th-century spire fell to the ground.

The church – whose structure had been a cause of concern before the inferno – was undergoing exterior renovations at the time. Among the theories about the cause of the fire are a cigarette left by a worker or an electrical fault.

About 600 firefighters battled the blaze for 15 hours.

No one was killed or injured as a result of the fire.

At one point, there were fears that the eight bells in the north tower were in danger of falling, which could cause the tower itself and possibly most of the church’s walls to collapse.

Ultimately the structure was saved.

What was destroyed was the spire, wooden roof beams (known as “the grove”) and the stone arches in the center of the transept and part of the nave.

There was also extensive damage from falling wood and bricks as well as water from fire hoses.

Thankfully what was saved made up a much longer list – including all the stained glass windows, most of the statues and artwork, and the relic known as the Crown of Thorns. The organ – the second largest in France – was badly affected by the dust but could be repaired.

Church clergy also honored a number of “miracles” – miraculous survivors.

These include the 14th Century statue in the choir known as Our Lady of the Pillars, which was nearly crushed by falling masonry.

Sixteen giant bronze statues of the Apostles and Evangelists surrounding the minaret were taken down for renovation just four days before the fire.

After inspecting the destruction the next day, Macron made what seemed to many at the time a rash promise: Notre Dame would reopen to visitors within five years.

A public authority to manage the work was established by law and the call for funds brought an immediate response. A total of 846 million euros was raised, mostly from large donors but also from hundreds of thousands of small donors.

Responsibility for the task fell to Jean-Louis Georgelin, a military general in his own right, who shared Macron’s impatience with “heritage” committees and establishments.

Georgelin was widely credited with the project’s undoubted success, but he died in an accident in the Pyrenees in August 2023 and was replaced by Philippe Jost.

An estimated 2,000 builders, carpenters, restorers, roofers, foundry workers, art experts, sculptors and engineers worked on the project – giving a huge boost to the arts. French arts and crafts.

Many trades – such as stone carving – have seen a huge increase in the number of apprenticeships thanks to publicity.

“[The Notre Dame project] equivalent to the World’s Fair, in the way that it was a showcase for our craft. It is a great store internationally,” says Pascal Payen-Appenzeller, whose association promotes traditional building skills.

The project’s first task was to secure the site, then dismantle the massive metal scaffolding that previously surrounded the tower but melted in the fire and fused with the rock.

From the outset, a decision had to be made about the nature of the renovation: whether to faithfully recreate the medieval building and the 19th-century neo-Gothic alterations resulting from the architecture. architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc did it or not, or took the opportunity to mark the building with a modern landmark symbol.

The appeal for new designs has spawned unusual ideas, including a glass roof, a green “eco-roof”, a large flare instead of a spire, and a spire topped with a straight laser. stood shooting into the sky.

In the face of protests from experts and the public, all were abandoned and the rebuild remained essentially true to the original – albeit with some concessions to modern materials and safety requirements. For example, roof timbers are now protected by sprinklers and baffles.

The only remaining point of contention is Macron’s desire for a modern design for the stained glass windows in the six neighboring chapels. The artists submitted their works to the competition but faced fierce opposition from many people in the French art world.

Macron has tried to turn the renovation of Notre Dame into a theme and a symbol.

He was closely involved in the project and visited the church several times.

At a time when his political fortunes are at an all-time low – following a tense parliamentary election in July – the reopening is a much-needed boost to morale.

Some thought he stole the spotlight by holding the ceremony on Friday – officially marking the end of the project – a week before the official reopening. That means the long-awaited first images of the interior will certainly focus on him as well.

In response, Elysée officials pointed out that the church – like all French religious buildings under the 1905 law – belonged to the state, with the Catholic Church being the “designated user”; and that without Macron’s rapid mobilization, the job would never have been completed so quickly.

“What people will see [in the new Notre Dame] is the splendor and power of the collective will – à la francaise,” said an Elysée insider.