Have you planned anything for Sunday, December 8, 2024? Probably not yet. How about a tour on the Ile de la Cité, in Paris, on the occasion of the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, closed to worshipers and visitors since the fire on April 15, 2019? You can admire the result of an extraordinary reconstruction project, which you may have contributed to financing. The collapse, four and a half years ago, of the spire built by Viollet-Le-Duc in the 19th century, had indeed sparked a wave of emotion which translated into financial support for the reconstruction of this monument inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The national fundraising campaign launched at the time by the President of the Republic raised “around 840 million euros,” the Elysée pointed out, on Wednesday, December 6, on the eve of Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the construction site, one year before the reopening of the monument.
Would you have been “too” generous? The first phase of securing the cathedral after the fire, followed by the second phase of its restoration, currently underway, requires only – to speak metaphorically – 700 million euros for the work, according to the President’s office. What to do with the surplus of around 140 million? “This is one of the issues in the third phase of the project,” acknowledges the Elysée. A sequence that will begin after the reopening of the cathedral at the end of 2024, and “the exact nature of which needs to be determined in order to arbitrate on its financing,” the Elysée continues.
In a report published a year ago, the Court of Auditors gave a glimpse of how the “significant available amount” from the security and reconstruction work should be used, in relation to the 840 million euros collected during the national fundraising campaign. To be specific, this includes addressing pathologies of the cathedral prior to the fire, particularly its exteriors. “It seems quite logical that the money given for Notre-Dame stays with Notre-Dame,” agrees Emmanuel Macron’s entourage. They also concur that the exteriors will need to “be harmonized with the cathedral,” and consider “desirable” a number of works, such as the restoration of the flying buttresses of the nave and choir.
Are you reassured about the use of your donations? You may be less so about the lead sheet used to rebuild the spire, which is about to rise again to 96 meters above the Parisian cobblestones. On November 30, a group of associations called for the suspension of the construction, citing the risks of lead pollution. But the Elysée assures the implementation of “extremely rigorous measures to avoid any health risks related to lead.” It also states that rainwater which runs off the lead of the spire will be “recovered to prevent it from going into nature.” Therefore, there is no question of suspending the construction.
So, have you marked December 8, 2024 on your calendar? You won’t be alone. Still in its report from October 2022, the Court of Auditors expressed concern about the likely “overcrowding” of the cathedral, the most visited monument in Europe, after its reopening, estimating an additional two million faithful and visitors per year, compared to the 12 million who trod the square each year before the fire. “The cathedral was built eight centuries ago to receive large crowds. And it did not buckle during the fire. Therefore, it should resist,” the Elysée retorts. They see this upcoming overcrowding as more of an organizational issue than a preservation issue for the monument.
