PARIS
\nFive years after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral is nearing completion as the world\u2019s eyes turn to Paris for the Olympic Games.
\nOn the evening of April 15, 2019, the cathedral\u2019s roof burst into flames. Soon, it had engulfed the spire and almost toppled the main bell towers. Around the world, TV viewers watched with horror as the medieval building burned.
\nMacron, whose second and final term ends in 2027, wants the cathedral\u2019s restoration to lift the nation\u2019s mood \u2014 and his government\u2019s approval ratings. \u201cOnly once in a century does one host Olympic and Paralympic Games, only once in a millennium does one rebuild a cathedral,\u201d Macron said in his 2024 New Year speech.
\nIt remains unclear what exactly caused the fire. French authorities have said an electrical fault or a burning cigarette may have been responsible.
\n\u201cA firefighter told me \u2018Sir, take a close look at the facade because if we don\u2019t manage to put out that fire, it will all go to ruin\u2019,\u201d remembered Laurence Alsina, who owns a bookselling stand close to the cathedral on the banks of the River Seine.
\nThe facade held, but the damage has needed five years of intense stabilization and restoration works.
\nThe pride of those working on the project shines through.
\n\u201cThis is the construction work of a lifetime, because restoring an entire monument in all its three-dimensionality, that\u2019s quite exceptional.\u201d Emma Roux, an artisan working on the iconic stained glass windows said.
\nThe re-opening is scheduled for December, and is currently running on schedule, according to the official leading the project.
\n\u201cWe are on time and on budget,\u201d Philippe Jost said last month at a Senate hearing. Jost told lawmakers that the project had so far cost 550 million euros ($587 million), funded in part by massive donations, including from luxury sector billionaires Francois Henri Pinault and the Arnault family. So much money has been donated that there will even be funds left over for further investment in the building, he said.
\n\u201cAn additional 150 million euros should be made available and \u2014 provided the approval of our sponsors \u2014 it will be used to restore the cathedral and tackle problems that predate the fire, which mainly concern the exterior stonework,\u201d Jost added. Jost, 63, a trained engineer who spent much of his career in the defense ministry, took over the job after his predecessor, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, died in a hiking accident in August 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PARIS Five years after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral is nearing completion as the world\u2019s eyes turn to Paris for the Olympic Games. On the evening of April 15, 2019, the cathedral\u2019s roof burst into flames. Soon, it had engulfed the spire and almost toppled the main bell towers. Around the world, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399832,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-399821","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n