Inside Notre-Dame, but without going inside

On April 15, 2019, the world was shocked by a terrible fire in the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, and the destructive effects of the flames were followed minute by minute. Now that tourists have returned to the French capital after these years of the pandemic, they feel a certain frustration when they see the cathedral still hidden behind scaffolding.

But while waiting for Notre-Dame to finally open its doors to the public (they promise it will be on December 8, 2024), the body in charge of its conservation and restoration has created an exhibition so that visitors can follow the evolution of the church. reconstruction work and discover the work of the hundreds of men and women striving to restore Notre-Dame to its original appearance.

The idea came about when the organizers discovered that many people were stopping to take photos on the fences around the works and wanted to know more about what was happening on the other side.

The exhibition begins with an introductory film that covers a set of works carried out from the day of the accident until today, which were made possible thanks to 845 million euros in donations from around the world. Through the educational model of the cathedral, it is possible to better understand the various constructive parts and complex interventions that enabled, for example, the reconstruction of the transept that sank under the weight of an arrow.

It is also an opportunity to see up close the traces of the fire: the head of an angel that fell 33 meters, the remains of charred ceiling beams or the lead elements that adorned the arrow of Violet-le-Duc, and above all, to discover the trades of the operators and craftsmen involved in the restoration.

Because one of the goals of the exhibition is to stimulate new vocations among the youngest. “These companies of excellent French savoir-faire are having difficulty recruiting today,” says Philippe Jost, deputy director of the Public Institution in charge of the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral. “We want the students to discover these crafts that they probably don’t know about, to see the satisfaction of the craftsmen we work with and to know that these are beautiful and interesting crafts,” he adds.

With explainer videos

The elements of the exhibition are accompanied by videos explaining those who work on each one. “It’s a wide board that represents the trades that work every day: carpenters, pipers, skellers, paint restorers, stone masons, glassmakers,” says Lisa Bergugnat, curator of the exhibition.

Another unique aspect of the reconstruction is the use of ancient and state-of-the-art techniques, “for example, parts of the scaffolding were carved with axes according to the medieval technique, and at the same time work was done on digitizing the building before the fire, which allowed us to restore the parts of the cathedral that had disappeared,” Jost points out.

The last fresco details the role of each of the 500 artisans who participated.

Philippe Jost assures that the cathedral will be finished in December 2024. “All the damage caused by the fire will be repaired, including the Violet-le-Duc arrow,” and then only other restoration work will remain on the exterior of the building. , but it is a question of degradation of the stone caused by the acidity of the air because the cathedral was not renovated for a long time.

The exhibition “Notre-Dame de Paris: in the heart of the works” is free, will remain open until the end of the restoration work, and is located under the esplanade of the cathedral.