A new spire for Notre Dame

A key part of the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral, devastated by a fire in 2019, will soon be completed. The oak structure of the spire is set to be visible "before Christmas," authorities told news agency AFP. The spire reproduces the original one, designed by 19th-century architect Viollet-Le-Duc. But scaffolding will remain in place until the cover and lead ornaments are installed.

At 6:20 p.m. on April 15, 2019, a smoke alarm sounded in Paris, in its world-famous Notre Dame Cathedral. But the source of the fire could not be detected, which is why only a second alarm led to the evacuation of the church. Shortly afterwards, the ridge turret and the roof truss were engulfed in flames. The fire's cause remains unknown, but a short circuit or a discarded cigarette was suspected.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced almost defiantly that Notre Dame would be restored within five years, and "more beautiful than ever before." Experts meanwhile presume, also due to the pandemic, that it will take considerably longer until the restoration is complete. In addition to the damage to the building framework, the interior and the organ must also be restored.

Two hundred tons of building material fell into the nave of the Gothic building as a result of the fire. For a long time, it was unclear whether the ceiling vault was in danger of collapsing, as the extinguishing of the fire saturated it with water. The cathedral in the east of the city was built from 1163 to 1345; the wooden tower was added in the mid-19th century.

Construction economists estimated the cost of reconstruction at €400 to 600 million ($435 million to $650 million). Since there was no insurance coverage for the state-owned cathedral and no evidence of third-party fault, the costs would have fallen on the shoulders of French taxpayers. However, within days of the fire, donations of more than €800 million had already been pledged.

Donation pledges quickly reached the €1 billion mark. Large national corporations and the super-rich were the most prominent donors, which sparked criticism that the money elite was interfering in state affairs, acting like landlords, while otherwise always looking for ways to pay as little taxes as possible. Critics felt that the reconstruction of Notre Dame would become a symbol of the elite.

The old roof structure was nicknamed "La forêt" — the forest. It was built in the 13th century from around 1,300 oak beams. For the new roof structure, 2,000 oaks will be felled. The project was criticized as an "ecocide." A petition against the sacrifice of the ancient trees has been signed by 40,000 people.

As a counter-argument, forest owners point out that the 2,000 oaks only represent 0.1% of the total annual harvest. French President Macron announced in July 2020 that Notre Dame would be reconstructed according to its historical design, with oak and lead. Other cathedrals' structures have been restored with concrete instead.

Nothing in the cathedral's architecture is to be changed. After the blaze, alternative design ideas were considered, including a walk-on glass roof. But the French parliament decided that the restoration should remain true to the original. While the country's officials still aim to have Notre Dame ready to reopen to the public in December 2024, its full restoration could take many more years.