Notre Dame Rises: Phoenix of Paris Reborn After Fiery Ordeal

CGTN Europe

From ashes to glory! Notre-Dame’s spire rises anew after a five-year restoration. On December 8, this 800-year-old symbol of resilience will be reborn. CGTN’s Iolo ap Dafydd takes you behind the scenes of its remarkable rebuild.  #NotreDame #Paris

Transcript

00:00The Notre-Dame Basilica

00:02The Notre-Dame Basilica is in the middle of Paris, quite literally so.

00:06It stands on an island in the middle of the River Seine.

00:09This Catholic cathedral is a place of worship,

00:13but it's also a historical site since the Middle Ages.

00:17It's a place of worship and it's dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ,

00:22and it's attracted pilgrims and people for 800 years.

00:26Now, French official figures say that between 12 and 14 million people come here annually.

00:33It is one of Europe's most celebrated sites,

00:36or at least it was before a fire five years ago,

00:39and since then the cathedral has been closed to the public.

00:45Since then, scaffolding has surrounded the church as renovation work is carried out,

00:50but gradually the French Gothic architecture is being revealed again.

00:57For example, the large flying buttresses that reflect the feet of the 13th century architects,

01:03in terms of height and slenderness.

01:05Usually, flying buttresses have two flights separated by a support point,

01:10but here there's a single flight spanning over the aisles.

01:15The building work began in the mid-12th century and carried on for up to 200 years.

01:20Modifications were needed in the 18th century and major restorations

01:24in the 19th century.

01:26During the last 100 years, it's maintenance work that's kept the cathedral open.

01:31Standing above the Seine, it's hard to miss it.

01:34The two towers are 69 meters high.

01:37The spire at the back is 96 meters.

01:40The cathedral is 128 meters in length and 48 meters wide.

01:45And when it's open, you'll have to climb up 387 steps to reach the top of the towers.

01:55The Notre-Dame was closed after a devastating fire that began near the roof

02:00after six in the evening on the 15th of April in 2019.

02:04By the time around 400 firefighters had arrived to extinguish the flames

02:09that was blazing for 15 hours, the cathedral's wooden spire had collapsed

02:14and most of the roof had been destroyed.

02:17The upper walls were severely damaged,

02:19but more extensive damage to the interior was prevented

02:23by the vaulted stone ceiling inside the cathedral,

02:26and that contained debris from the burning roof.

02:29Many works of art and religious relics inside were moved away to safety.

02:33Some were damaged by smoke, and some of the exterior art has also been destroyed.

02:38According to the investigators, in 2020, they said that the fire

02:42may have been started by either a cigarette or a short circuit in the electrical system.

02:47More than 900 million US dollars has been donated from people

02:51in 150 countries to rebuild the cathedral.

02:54In October, the French culture minister, Rachida Dati, caused some controversy.

02:58She said in an article in French newspapers

03:01that visitors here should pay 5 euros each to enter the church once it's been reopened.

03:07And she argued that that could raise up to 18 million dollars

03:11that would pay for the upkeep of the cathedral.

03:14I think it's very inexpensive. I think it should be twice as much.

03:18They've done an amazing job putting this thing back together.

03:21And what about this feeling that nobody really should pay to go into a church, a place of worship?

03:27Well, I'm sure it costs quite a bit of money to fix this.

03:30And this is really, I think, just paying for the fixing of the building.

03:34I would say that it's worth it.

03:36I don't think so, because it's like for me, for a tourist,

03:40it's better that it doesn't cost something.

03:44And it's, I think, a cultural thing. It should be open for everybody.

03:49And should be free.

03:50Yeah, free.

03:52If you had a choice, would you pay or not?

03:59I would pay, because, for example, now they are rebuilding.

04:05So, somehow, we need resources to rebuild the church.

04:11No, I would not pay, because I would talk with the guide,

04:16to tell him that I'm not going to visit, but I'm going to pray.

04:20Personally, I don't go to church, so I'm not concerned about it.

04:23So I can see it more as a monument.

04:26And I can understand that we have to pay.

04:29But, well, it's only five euros. Why not?

04:34Long queues are expected when it reopens in mid-December.

04:38Almost 40,000 visitors are expected every single day.

04:43There will be a special mass and several services,

04:47and then a reopening programme that will run throughout 2025.

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