Just over five years after the fire that devastated it, in April 2019, the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris revealed to the world its ” glow found », Friday, November 29, during the last visit to the place of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron. “ The shock of [ré]opening, will be, I want to believe, as strong as that of fire. But I think it will be a shot of hope.”declared the Head of State, eight days before the reopening of the building with great fanfare, on Saturday, December 7.
“The Notre-Dame fire was a national wound and you were its remedy with will, with work, with commitment (…) You achieved what we thought impossible”declared Macron before the 2,000 people who worked on the reconstruction of the cathedral, while speaking from the nave, in the middle of more than a thousand people. He congratulated them at length for having observed “this challenge”saluting the work, the “ energy and enthusiasm » of all trades and the 250 companies that have participated in the work during the last five years, “Alchemists of the work who transformed coal into art.”
During his speech, the president also greeted “the immense waste of solidarity” who spoke “all over the world” and thanked the hundreds of patrons who, through their donations, made it possible to raise about 700 million euros, which fully financed the reconstruction of Notre-Dame. Before paying tribute to the memory of General Jean-Louis Georgelin, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces who became president of the public establishment of Notre-Dame de Paris until his accidental death in the summer of 2023.
His speech came after a two-hour walk through the religious building, broadcast live by several French and international channels. Accompanied by his wife, Brigitte Macron, and the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, elected officials and representatives of the Catholic faith, Emmanuel Macron marked ten stages before the completion of the titanic site, from the square to the frame, passing through the nave, the transept or even the Saint-Marcel chapel, speaking with some of the craftsmen who worked on the reconstruction of the building.
blonde stone
“It’s sublime”he exclaimed upon discovering the cathedral. “She is much more hospitable with this blonde stone.”clean of the grime accumulated over decades, he added, assuring speakers that they could “be proud”. “This latest visit to the site is an opportunity to thank them in particular, from the wood craftsmen to the metal and stone craftsmen, from the scaffolders to the roofers, from the campers to the art restorers, from the gilders to the bricklayers and sculptors, from carpenters to organ builders, from architects to archaeologists. , engineers and planners to logistical or administrative functions”stated Emmanuel Macron, before this visit.
Broadcast around the world, the fire, which occurred on April 15, 2019 and whose causes have not yet been determined, caused a wave of global emotion. The President of the Republic then promised to reopen within five years, which then aroused some skepticism. Those around him are happy today that “the impossible has[it] it was possible ». The flames had especially devastated the roof and structure of this masterpiece of Gothic art from the 12th century.my century, which is among the most visited monuments in Europe. The Viollet-le-Duc tower, which collapsed from a height of 93 meters, was rebuilt identically.
In total, according to the Elysée, 843 million euros were raised to restore the building. Around 700 million were spent on the first two phases of consolidation and restoration; The remaining 140 million will be used to restore, in particular, the facades and roofs of the sacristy from the beginning of 2025.
The public still has to wait a good week to access the cathedral. The Head of State will speak again on Saturday, December 7, before an indoor liturgical ceremony for the official reopening, a prelude to the inaugural mass celebrated on December 8. The head of state has invited a large number of foreign leaders to its reopening, hoping to turn it into an international event, but the list of those present is not yet known. Much to the regret of the Elysée, Pope Francis preferred to go to Corsica a week later than to Paris.
