Emmanuel Macron visits Notre Dame on the second anniversary of its fire
Two years after the fire, Macron visited Notre Dame together with the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, Jean-Louis Georgelin and some religious representatives. Before the visit, the Elysée thanked "all those working on the reconstruction: carpenters, technicians, crane operators, organ builders, master glassmakers, restorers of paintings and sculpture, archaeologists and researchers". He also remembered "all those who made it possible to save the cathedral from the flames, as well as the 340,000 donors from all over the world who make this project possible", he added. This event shocked not only France, but the entire international community. A few days after the fire, donations to the reconstruction effort began to pour in, raising some 833 million euros. Macron underlined the "immense work done", as he visited the cathedral's 47-metre-high roof. "We must remain steadfast. I have confidence in the know-how of the workers, technicians, architects. All the teams must work together to reach the final goal, fulfilling our promises," he added. Regarding reconstruction planning, he declared that it must be "very demanding and rigorous" in order to meet the goal of reopening in 2024. This is the first time the French president has visited the site of the accident since it was destroyed. Macron has been very impressed by the work done so far, even with the coronavirus pandemic affecting Paris in particular.
On 15 April 2019, the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral suffered a major fire that affected much of its roof. In addition, the pinnacle of the 12th century church collapsed due to the fire. The French president recently declared in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien that the cathedral will be rebuilt by 2024, when it will also reopen its doors, which have been closed since the accident. "Everyone is sure that we will make it by 2024," Macron insisted. He also praised the "extraordinary professionals" and French companies that are collaborating in the reconstruction. He also recalled that "the forest of France has been mobilised", in reference to the oak trees that will be used to repair the cathedral's roof. General Jean-Louis Georgelin, the coordinator of the reconstruction work, announced that work would begin at the end of this year. He has also confirmed the reopening for 16 April 2024. A historic sung mass will be celebrated in the cathedral on that day.
The reconstruction process will be hard for everyone involved. During these two years the workers have had to face a number of challenges. The cathedral was at risk of collapse, it suffered from storms and rainstorms that caused major delays. There have also been problems with gas pollution, in fact, citizens living near the cathedral have filed a complaint about the harmful effects of this pollution. In addition, there was the COVID-19 crisis, which undoubtedly affected the reconstruction. The area around Notre Dame, which is constantly guarded by patrols, is also in need of reconstruction.
Nevertheless, Macron has been optimistic, stressing the temple's relevance in European history and the achievements that have been made so far. "The cathedral of the people of Paris is a little bit the cathedral of all French people and all Europeans," the French president declared. "We were about to see an essential work for our culture, for the literary, architectural, religious and secular history of France disappear. Its reconstruction is a great collective mission," he added.
