Notre-Dame de Paris: five years after the fire, five questions about a reopening

Quiet, we're working! Five years to the day after the fire which ravaged Notre-Dame de Paris, neither the Minister of Culture nor the President of the Republic are expected at the bedside of the cathedral. The objective is now focused on December 7 and 8, times when the President of the Republic will “hand over” the building to the Archbishop of Paris, who is its appointee, and when the public will be able to enter the spectacularly restored places .

Until then, on site, “the pressure is building, every hour will count,” judges Rémi Fromont, one of the three chief architects at the cathedral. Since 2019, and as the work progresses, “certain trades have left the site, others have joined; But the unity, pride, mutual aid, and cohesion which make up the “Notre-Dame” state of mind are more present than ever”, affirms for his part Philippe Jost, president of the Public Establishment for the restoration of Notre-Dame. Eight months before reopening, we take stock of the questions we are asking ourselves.

The frames of the nave, the choir and the spire were rebuilt identically in solid oak, and the spire partially regained its lead covering, as well as its cross and a new rooster. Walls, facings, sculptures and stained glass windows have been restored or cleaned.

For the next 8 months, several hundred employees and journeymen will still be at work, on the site or in workshops. Between now and summer, the major restoration of the lead roofing of the nave and the choir will take place, with the roofers installing the two thousand lead tables one by one. A ballet of scaffolding, assembled and dismantled according to emergencies, will evolve around here in December. With a highlight at the time of the restoration of the vault of the transept crossing, which was nothing more than a gaping hole the day after the fire.

Inside, the cleaning of the walls and decorations is almost complete, restorers continuing their tasks in the chapels. The restoration of the marble and limestone floors continues, and one of the major tasks, between now and December, will be to redo all the electrical installations and technical devices. A fire-fighting system (mist, fire door) has been installed in the frame.

The Diocese, for its part, has a lot of work ahead of it: installation of new liturgical furniture, chairs and the new reliquary hunt for Christ's crown of thorns, new scenography for the treasure, installation of 1600 points of light and 120 speakers…

Announced by the President of the Republic last December, and supported by the Archbishop of Paris, Monseigneur Ulrich, the principle of a competition for the creation of contemporary stained glass windows in the six chapels of the south aisle of the nave, is in progress. taking shape. At the beginning of March, an artistic committee, chaired by the former director of the national museum of modern art, Bernard Blistène, and composed of 20 personalities, was installed by the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati. On May 10, a call for applications was published, specifying that applicants – an artist and a master glassmaker – had until May 24 to submit their applications. Their project must be figurative, and concern Pentecost and the holy spirit. A winning pair will be selected in the fall, in order to present a prototype to the public when the cathedral reopens. Until then, the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture (CNPA), made up of around forty experts, must make a decision in May.

Since the announcement of the competition, opposition has been heard, and a petition has gathered 140,000 signatories. The opponents intend to uphold the legacy of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who had designed, between 1855 and 1865, the stained glass windows of the six chapels intended to be replaced. However, these contemporary stained glass windows should not be installed in the cathedral before 2026.

Before the fire, it was estimated that 12 million visitors came to Notre-Dame de Paris each year. With 2000 celebrations per year, the cathedral was a permanent hive. After five years of closure, the Diocese of Paris expects record attendance, which could pose problems. “The maximum capacity for the building is 3,000 people, and it seems difficult to go beyond 15 million visitors per year,” concedes Philippe Jost. Consideration is underway to establish “dynamic management” of flows, as in major tourist sites. Several options are on the table – reservation of visit slots on the internet or on site, specific times for groups, tourist visits limited to the time of masses. “A dedicated working group ensures the implementation of a series of tools to minimize waits, facilitate access, streamline the visit and support the rediscovery of the Cathedral, with guides or digital applications,” indicates we at the Diocese of Paris.

From December 2024, we will enter through the three portals, including the one in the center, and the circulation of flows should be better organized. Inside, new signage must be put in place. By 2028, the cathedral square must be completely reconfigured, the city of Paris having entrusted a vast project to the landscaper Bas Smets – with the architect and town planner agency GRAU, and the architecture agency Neufville-Gayet. Bas Smets is planning in particular an “interior promenade” in the former underground car park located under the current square. Over 3000 square meters, reception areas and toilets should be able to absorb some of the visitors and limit queues in the rain or the sun.

It's no mystery to anyone that Paris should be embolized from June because of the Olympic Games. However, there will be no truce for the cathedral, everything geared towards the reopening in December. For supplies of materials, including the steel tubes necessary for the construction of scaffolding, the public establishment contacted the Police Prefecture and the regional prefecture of Ile de France. The latter assured that they would secure access to the site.

In the midst of this turmoil, the hundreds of employees and companions on the site should be put to the test. Those whose businesses are based in the provinces will have to find ways to find accommodation in Paris, without blowing their budget. Those living in Ile de France will have to bend over backwards to find a place in the crowded RER and metro trains.

On the 8th, the building will be returned to worship and visits. After that ? It has been several months since the Public Establishment indicated that the work should continue for several years. Of the 845 million euros collected thanks to 340,000 donors and patrons, a little less than 700 million should be spent by the end of December 2024. Last March, before the senators, then the deputies, Philippe Jost explained that the major patrons had given their agreement so that the remainder of the money paid for the restoration of the damage from the fire would be devoted to other work. The restoration of the apse, the sacristy, the presbytery as well as the large roses (which were not affected by the fire) is therefore planned. The timetable has not yet been set, but we are talking about several years during which Notre-Dame will remain under construction.

After the Olympics, the project by landscaper Bas Smets should be implemented. It concerns the spaces of the square, including underground (3000 square meters in place of a disused car park), but also the Jean XXIII and Ile de France squares. In total, 4.5 hectares around the building should be reconfigured, according to the project presented in 2022. The work will be financed by Paris City Hall, to the tune of 50 million euros.