France marked the third anniversary of the fire at the historic cathedral of Notre Dame on April 15. President Emmanuel Macron visited the cathedral accompanied by his wife Brigitte and French Army General, Jean-Louis Georgelin. Macron had set a deadline of 2024 to reopen the 850-year-old cathedral.
According to the police, the accident may have been caused due to building work-- the cathedral was undergoing 20-year-old restoration work at the time. Repair works on the Cathedral began in June 2020.
On July 9 2020, National Commission for Heritage and Architecture (CNPA), were handed restoration plans by the chief architects of Historical Monuments. The CNPA unanimously approved the plans to respect the previously existing structure of the historic structure and to restore it to its last coherent known state. The plans ensured that the restoration process will ensure harmony and will keep with the Gothic style of architecture.
A lot of the clean-up work includes clearing the burnt scaffolding surrounding the spires-- a delicate process involving the removal of about 30,000 tubes weighing about 300 tons. This was completed on November 24. Temporary scaffolding was then built inside the cathedral to lend support to the vaults as they undergo reconstruction.
The Grand Organ was dismantled and removed. The Organ's pipes will be repaired and cleaned extensively to remove lead dust that settled in the aftermath of the fire. This work is projected to finish by April 2024.
Several of the structure's stained glass windows, several statues and large 17th and 18th-century paintings were sent to contractors for restoration. Close to $900 million was raised with donations from about 340,000 donors in 150 countries.
Now, the church's wooden framework and roof, along with its trusses remain to be restored.
