Work Inside the Cathedral
Workers have been diligently cleaning and restoring the inside of the cathedral. For the past 8 months, they have been cleaning the wall paintings of the choir chapels. At the moment, the full restoration of the north transept is underway. Fortunately, the scaffolding has been able to be removed. The construction of the arches of the vault of the transept crossing has been completed. Interior spaces of the lower parts of the cathedral, collaterals and chapels of the nave, galleries of the nave and of the choir, and ambulatory of the choir were dirty from the fire, but now they have been cleaned. The stained glass windows in the cathedral have been cleaned and refitted. Ironworkers are refitting the railings in the cathedral and the railings of the stands are being refitted as well. Lastly, the great organ is being restored and reinstalled.
Restoring the Spire and the Great Roof of the Cathedral
Recently, some important steps were taken. The wooden hangers across the transept crossing have been installed. At the beginning of January, the first keystones, prepared by stonemasons, were delivered by river to the site. These stones will be used to rebuild the arches of the crossing of the transept. The first stage of the vault of the transept crossing is complete: the four pointed arches and the keystones are in place. Since December, sculptors have been working on the reproduction of the destroyed or damaged decorations. The north and south gables of the cathedral’s transept, very degraded and weakened by fire, have been almost completely dismantled.
Restoration Work Carried “Outside the Walls”
During the winter of 2021, an operation of selecting and harvesting oaks was carried out in order to rebuild the frames of the spire and the transept as they were originally built. A few months later, a second phase of selection and collection began to restitute the medieval frameworks of the great attic (the nave and the choir). Today, most of the oak trees needed to rebuild the frames have been handed over to the carpenters. Another update is that the website for the construction site, which can be found here, has been revamped. You can now follow all stages of the construction site and inform yourself of the news of the construction site. An exhibit “Notre-Dame de Paris, from builders to restorers” opened on February 15, 2023. This exhibition offers an opportunity to (re)discover the cathedral and its history, from its construction to today’s site. Furthermore, “Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site” has been open to the public since March 7. It highlights the restoration operations of Notre Dame as well as the know-how that is mobilized there daily. Located in the new Espace Notre Dame under the forecourt, it is a veritable house of construction and trades. Lastly, in February, the public establishment signed two new sponsorships with the French groups Nexans and Schneider Electric, which are supporting the site through sponsorships in kind and skills.
