PARIS – After more than five years of reconstruction work, Notre Dame Cathedral showed its new personality to the world on Friday, with a rebuilt soaring ceiling and shiny new stonework that erases the sad memories of its devastating fire in 2019.
Live footage of French President Emmanuel Macron’s site visit showed the interior of the cathedral as worshipers might have experienced it back in ancient times, its wide and open spaces filled with bright light on a cool and sunny winter’s day. bright colors of glass windows.
Outside, the monument is still a construction site, with scaffolding and cranes. But the refurbished interior – shown in its full glory on Friday for the first time before the public is allowed to return on December 8 – proved to be stunning.
Stonemasons repair open ceilings
There are no more holes the fire caused by the fire in the roof, leaving the burnt debris. New stones were carefully assembled to repair and fill the wounds that had left the interior of the cathedral exposed to the elements. Delicate golden angels gaze from the center of the reconstructed roof, rising again above the transept.
The bright, cream-colored limestone walls of the cathedral look fresh, not only cleaned of dust from the fire but also dirt that has accumulated over the centuries.
The cathedral attracted millions of worshipers and visitors every year before, on April 15, 2019, a fire forced its closure and turned the monument in the heart of Paris into a no-go zone except for craftsmen, architects and others who were recruited to rebuild.
Macron entered through the main gate of the cathedral with elaborately carved front doors and stared at the ceiling in amazement. He was accompanied by his wife, Brigitte, the archbishop of Paris and others.
New and old techniques have been used
Powerful cleaning equipment was used to first remove the toxic dust that was released when the fire melted the cathedral’s lead roof.
Fine layers of latex were then sprayed onto the surface and removed a few days later, removing the dirt as well. Cleaning gels were also used on some of the painted walls, removing years of accumulated grime and bringing out their vibrant colors again.
Carpenters were as hands-on as their Medieval counterparts as they carved massive oak beams to rebuild the roof and the soapstone that crumbled like a flaming spear in a ball. The beams bear the marks of the carpenters’ handiwork, and the beams are made of wood with hand axes.
About 2,000 oak trees were cut down to rebuild the roof, which is so dense and complex that it is called “the forest.”
It’s a small preview before the reopening
Macron’s visit kicked off a series of events that ushered in the reopening of the 12th-century Gothic masterpiece.
Macron will return on December 7 to deliver an address and attend the consecration of the new altar during a solemn Mass the following day.
Macron’s administration is praising the reconstruction as a symbol of national unity and what France can do.
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