The phase of securing and consolidating Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, devastated more than two years ago by a fire, has come to an end, now giving way to the restoration phase, announced, Saturday, September 18, the public institution responsible for its conservation.
The work to secure and consolidate the cathedral began on April 16, 2019, the day after the fire. According to the press release, “The cathedral is now completely secure”, after this phase which included in particular the dismantling of the scaffolding which was in place during the fire, as well as “The removal of the great organ, the cleaning test sites in two chapels, the installation of wooden hangers under the flying buttresses or the clearing and sorting of remains and the securing of the crossing of the transept”. In parallel, “The restoration phase has been actively prepared and is now resolutely engaged in order to launch the first restoration work this winter”.
Tenders
Although President Emmanuel Macron has promised that the cathedral will be rebuilt in five years, the site will not be completed within this timeframe. On the other hand, the monument must be returned to worship by April 16, 2024, the day when a mass must be celebrated again in the nave, announced in December 2020 General Jean-Louis Georgelin, president of the public establishment responsible for rebuilding. Cathedral.
The latter is now preparing to launch calls for tenders for works to select the companies that will take part in the restoration project, while“A campaign of in-depth cleaning of the interior walls and floors of the cathedral begins this month”.
On the occasion of European Heritage Days, the Notre-Dame construction site turns Saturday and Sunday into a village of trades on the forecourt of the cathedral. For the occasion, visitors will be able to discover the realities behind the words scaffolders, rope access technicians or organ builders.
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