# Rebuilding Notre-Dame cathedral (Paris) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2019, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437 "2019-12-27T03:47:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2023, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/161 "2023-07-15T14:13:21Z")
Considering how it was after the bombing, they did a remarkable job: [http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Coventry-Cathedral-Nov-16-1940.jpg](http://www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Coventry-Cathedral-Nov-16-1940.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2023, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/162 "2023-12-09T04:06:29Z")
Update. > **[After Toppling in the 2019 Fire, Notre-Dame’s Spire Rises Again](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/world/europe/notre-dame-reopening-paris-france.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ek0._VSN.C1rKGlpzazGr&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare)** > > President Emmanuel Macron had vowed to rebuild within five years from a blaze that marred the famed Paris cathedral. So far, the schedule is on track. Apparently on track for the five year reopening goal. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2023, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/163 "2023-12-09T07:38:58Z")
Coincidentally, I saw a piece on French TV news about the restoration and re-installation of the massive statues of Christ and St Denis: TF1 in French: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/X6aArNnWI-0/hqdefault.jpg "Reconstruction de Notre-Dame de Paris : les statues renaissent au sommet de la cathédrale") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6aArNnWI-0) France24 in English on general progress: > **[Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris: One year before scheduled reopening](https://www.france24.com/en/video/20231208-macron-visits-notre-dame-cathedral-to-mark-rebuilding-progress)** ---
**Author:** ![sboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sboy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/164 "2023-12-22T00:59:36Z")
Obviously if there are visible decorative parts that were damaged yes replace with as close to the same but Roof trusses? Lead shingles? come on, to me that is silly ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/165 "2023-12-22T02:01:32Z")
Restoring what was there is going to be a lot less controversial, therefore incidentally much faster for people to agree, than making changes. Also, for truly historical buildings and parts of buildings [I don’t know about the status of the roof and spire specifically, but the chief architect for historic monuments testified at the time that he was in favor of a faithful reconstruction of everything] they are going to use traditional materials, not random substitutes. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > It was an esthetic decision to replace the fragile wooden trusses and the toxic lead roof with more of the same. The lead roof is highly visible, which probably influenced the decision. “We want to fix it quickly” probably also influenced the decision, as agreeing on an alternative might have been a lengthy process. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/166 "2023-12-22T02:08:54Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > TF1 in French: You can have YouTube auto translate the subtitles into English (or most anything). It’s not great but close enough you can follow if you do not speak French. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/167 "2024-11-08T17:53:47Z")
> **[Notre Dame welcomes arrival of 3 new bells as cathedral reopening nears](https://www.npr.org/2024/11/08/nx-s1-5183741/notre-dame-new-bells)** > > The delivery of the bells comes just one month ahead of Notre Dame's reopening, which is scheduled for December 8. so about 5 1/2 years after it burned. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/168 "2024-11-12T16:23:33Z")
the bells rang out! [Notre-Dame’s bells ring out for the first time since the devastating 2019 fire | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/08/style/notre-dame-bells-ring-first-time-scli-intl/index.html) the first test went well. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/169 "2024-11-13T09:53:50Z")
You would think they would do it properly: //[https://youtu.be/0rPHy8-vUlo?t=249](https://youtu.be/0rPHy8-vUlo?t=249) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/170 "2024-11-13T10:06:05Z")
Um… they didn’t have nearly as many bells to work with. Or was your comment meant to be funny? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/171 "2024-11-13T11:33:57Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > I still can’t understand why they insist on replacing the trusses with wooden ones and not with steel Because wood is a perfectly fine building material in its own right? I would _hope_ they’d install some sort of fire suppression system in there, but wood beams held up the roof for centuries. There is also a tricky balance in buildings like Notre-Dame due to the flying buttresses installed to counteract wall-spreading forces imposed by the weight of the original roof. I’m neither architect nor engineer, but I know there’s some complicated factors in making sure buildings remain standing. It might be after the numbers were crunched wood vs. steel didn’t make much difference, other than they had the specs for a wood roof they _know_ will work for centuries vs. designing a steel support from the start and integrating it with the old structure. And they opted for wood. I don’t _know_ that for a fact, but it seems plausible to me. Or maybe someone made a decision based on sentiment rather than sense. Wouldn’t be the first time. Anyhow - wood roof trusses work well over time, there’s ample evidence of that, so using wooden beams and trusses will at least result in a sound building. > [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Just as I can’t understand why the plan to replace the lead roofing material, which was spread as dust all over the city during the fire, with more lead. Yeah, that seems more problematic to me… ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/172 "2024-11-13T14:39:53Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > You would think they would do it properly: They couldn’t. If they hired someone with scoliosis, the PC crowd would disapprove. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/173 "2024-11-30T00:19:50Z")
Notre Dame to reopen shortly. CNN reports [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/x2tE1k-xN8A/maxresdefault.jpg "First look at Notre Dame’s breathtaking restoration five years after fire") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2tE1k-xN8A) ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/174 "2024-11-30T16:11:50Z")
National Geographic has a wonderful article on the restoration, what they did and why. One nice detail: the spire has a rooster (symbol of France, also present on the origonal) with flame-shaped wings and which contains a scroll with the names of all the restoration workers: the Cathedral rising from the ashes. And yes, there is now a newly installed fire suppression system. IMHO it would be incredibly foolish not to have one It is said to be stunningly beautiful (the Cathedral, not the sprinkler system). They had to clean ash and soot as well as restore, and centuries of grime were removed. I wish I could be there for the rededication ceremony. It sounds wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2024, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/175 "2024-11-30T16:21:00Z")
The reporting I saw on CNN mentioned that, despite the rededication ceremonies and reopening to the public, the restoration is still not done and won’t be until sometime in _2030_. So more than ten years since the fire. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/176 "2024-11-30T17:38:43Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Or maybe someone made a decision based on sentiment rather than sense. This is closer to the mark than you might think. There was a bit of a discussion of this 5 years ago in this thread, and the trend in cathedral restoration from the last century - many are centuries old and need almost continuous renovation anyway - is to use materials and methods as close to original/authentic as possible. Of course, original/authentic is a bit interpretive and arbitrary itself. Most cathedrals took decades or even centuries before being considered complete. As above, they need almost continuous renovation, so ‘complete’ is itself somewhat arbitrary. In the case of Notre-Dame, they meant restoring it to the standard of the 19th century restoration, i.e. the one after being burnt out and derelict from the French Revolution, which was itself somewhat controversial for not being ‘original’ or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/177 "2024-12-02T03:26:09Z")
Looks like they’ve done a great job. I hope we don’t start hearing about corners cut and speed favored over quality work, just to meet President Macron’s ambitious deadline. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/178 "2024-12-05T15:53:25Z")
Special axes were forged in Montreal - simulating those of 800 years ago. This was to allow the wood to be cut/carved exactly as it was back then. [Montreal blacksmith forged axes for Notre-Dame Cathedral restoration](https://montreal.citynews.ca/2024/12/04/montreal-blacksmith-forged-axes-for-notre-dame-cathedral/) [Green wood, axes and oaks: how ancient skills helped to raise Notre-Dame’s new roof](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/12/02/green-wood-axes-and-oaks-how-ancient-skills-helped-to-raise-notre-dames-new-roof) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/179 "2024-12-08T03:04:12Z")
NBC’s [YouTube post](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA2qYaXISdw) of the reopening ceremony featured as of the time I type this sort of an odd mix of at first raw feed then cut to restart a produced segment with inane host commentators ignoring the actual activities to then back to the live as-is for the religious ceremony, with a long part of the first half of proceedings featuring a huge chyron banner blocking a significant portion of the long shots. I kind of hope they do some better version post-prod though I dread that then the hosts would be “explaining for Americans” all the way through everything… A couple of times they seemed to have decided to unleash the organist to “show us what she can do”. Hey it’s their joint, whatever they’re into… In the middle of the congregation (once that obnoxious chyron went away) there stood out the several rows of the firefighters in their red jackets as a bright note. Meanwhile for color up front the Archbishop and other celebrants were given an interesting set of vestments that featured _all_ the liturgical colors (white, gold, red, green, dark purple/blue) simultaneously. But whatever the details still uplifting, knowing what it took to get here. (BTW no smiting of any of the numerous smite-deserving figures in the VIP seats, I guess it was Merciful God time. Plus He would not want to make a scene at Mom’s home rebuild party.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437/180 "2024-12-30T21:03:34Z")
Here’s an interesting _Washington Post_ [interactive graphic guide to the rebuilding.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/notre-dame-cathedral-before-and-after/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f009) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-paris/845437.md?page=10)