The Restoration of Notre-Dame: How It’s Come Back to Life
In April 2019, a fire destroyed large parts of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The roof and spire collapsed, and smoke and water damaged much of the interior.
Since then, a huge team of experts has worked to bring the 850-year-old cathedral back to its original state. Here’s what’s been happening behind the scenes.
Here’s what the amazing cathedral looks like the day of its reopening on December 7th 2024:
Here’s what it looked like before the fire:
During the devastating fire:
Let’s take a brief look at what was done.
Rebuilding the Roof and Spire
The fire destroyed the roof and the spire, but they are being rebuilt to look exactly as they did before.
To do this, workers needed 1,200 oak trees, which were carefully chosen from forests across France. The trees were used to recreate the wooden framework of the roof, known as “the forest.”
Artisans used traditional carpentry techniques, similar to those used in the 13th century, to make sure the reconstruction matched the original design.
The spire, which was added in the 19th century by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was rebuilt with the same materials and methods.
Cleaning and Restoring the Stained Glass
Notre-Dame’s stained glass windows, including the famous rose windows, survived the fire but needed a lot of cleaning and repair.
Teams carefully removed dirt and soot that had built up over centuries and repaired any cracks or damage. Each piece of glass was checked to ensure it matched the original design.
The restored windows now let in brighter, more colorful light, showing off their sophisticated patterns.
Fixing the Stone Walls and Vaults
The fire weakened the cathedral’s stone walls and vaulted ceilings. Engineers and stonemasons spent months checking the structure to identify stones that needed to be replaced.
New stones, sourced from quarries with similar limestone, were used to rebuild damaged sections. This work was done very carefully to ensure the cathedral remains stable and looks as it did before.
Restoring the Interior
Inside the cathedral, workers have been repairing smoke and water damage. The chapels, statues, and decorative elements have been cleaned and repainted to match their original appearance.
Damaged sections of the stone floor were replaced, and new liturgical furnishings were added to replace those lost in the fire. These new pieces were designed to fit the Gothic style of the cathedral.
Using Modern Technology
Restoring a medieval cathedral doesn’t only involve traditional methods. Advanced tools like 3D scanning and digital modeling were used to map the damaged parts of Notre-Dame.
These tools helped workers plan repairs with extreme accuracy. Using 3D models, they could recreate parts of the cathedral that were too damaged to restore directly.
This combination of old and new techniques made the process significantly faster and more precise.
What’s Next for Notre-Dame
Notre-Dame reopens to visitors in December 2024. The cathedral looks much like it did before the fire but cleaner and brighter.
The roof, spire, windows, and interior all show the results of five years of detailed work by experts.
While some areas may still need final touches, most of the restoration is complete, and the cathedral is ready to once again welcome visitors from around the world.