Notre-Dame nears re-opening five years after fire

11:43 am on 13 April 2024

By Lucien Libert, Michaela Cabrera, Tassilo Hummel for Reuters

(FILES) Workers take a picture as they operate on the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral's new wooden spire partially covered in lead in Paris on March 14, 2024. A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, and five years later, the reconstruction advances in its final stages before the reopening planned for the end of the year. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

Workers take a picture as they operate on the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral's new wooden spire partially covered in lead in Paris on 14 March, 2024. Photo: Ludovic Marin / AFP

Five years after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral is nearing completion as the world's eyes turn to Paris for the Olympic Games.

On the evening of 15 April, 2019, the cathedral's 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.

(FILES) Smoke billows as flames burn through the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on April 15, 2019, in the French capital Paris. A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, and five years later, the reconstruction advances in its final stages before the reopening planned for the end of the year. (Photo by Fabien Barrau / AFP)

Smoke billows as flames burn through the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on 15 April, 2019, in the French capital Paris. Photo: Fabien Barrau / AFP

France's President Emmanuel Macron, whose second and final term ends in 2027, wants the cathedral's restoration to lift the nation's mood - and his government's approval ratings.

"Only once in a century does one host Olympic and Paralympic Games, only once in a millennium does one rebuild a cathedral," Macron said in his 2024 New Year speech.

This video grab created from an AFP video taken on April 11, 2024, shows Paris Notre-Dame cathedral undergoing restoration since the devastating fire that ravaged it on April 15, 2019. A tender for the creation of contemporary stained-glass windows was launched on April 11, 2024. The iconic Parisian monument is scheduled to reopen in December 2024. (Photo by Mathilde BELLENGER / AFP)

Restoration work on the exterior on 11 April, 2024. Photo: AFP

It remains unclear what exactly caused the fire. French authorities have said an electrical fault or a burning cigarette may have been responsible.

"A firefighter told me 'Sir, take a close look at the facade because if we don't manage to put out that fire, it will all go to ruin'," remembered Patrick Chauvet, the former Notre-Dame chief priest.

The facade held, but the damage has needed five years of intense stabilisation and restoration works.

The pride of those working on the project shines through.

"This is the construction work of a lifetime, because restoring an entire monument in all its three-dimensionality, that's quite exceptional," Emma Roux, an artisan working on the iconic stained glass windows, said.

This video grab created from an AFP video taken on April 11, 2024, shows stained-glass windows inside Paris Notre-Dame cathedral under restoration since the devastating fire that ravaged it on April 15, 2019. A tender for the creation of contemporary stained-glass windows was launched on April 11, 2024. The iconic Parisian monument is scheduled to reopen in December 2024. (Photo by Mathilde BELLENGER / AFP)

Some of the stained glass under restoration. Photo: AFP

The re-opening is scheduled for December, and is currently running on schedule, according to the official leading the project.

"We are on time and on budget," Philippe Jost said last month at a Senate hearing.

This video grab created from an AFP video taken on April 11, 2024, shows a worker restoring painting on a pillar inside Paris Notre-Dame cathedral under restoration since the devastating fire that ravaged it on April 15, 2019. A tender for the creation of contemporary stained-glass windows was launched on April 11, 2024. The iconic Parisian monument is scheduled to reopen in December 2024. (Photo by Mathilde BELLENGER / AFP)

A worker restoring painting on a pillar inside Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral on 11 April, 2024. Photo: AFP

Jost told lawmakers that the project had so far cost €550 million (NZD$986m) 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.

"An additional 150 million euros should be made available and - provided the approval of our sponsors - it will be used to restore the cathedral and tackle problems that predate the fire, which mainly concern the exterior stonework," Jost added.

Jost, 63, a trained engineer who spent much of his career in the defence ministry, took over the job after his predecessor, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, died in a hiking accident in August 2023.