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Janis Kliphardt (Emery)
What joy! on the morning of November 8th, eight historic bells in Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral's northern belfry began to ring out for the first time since Parisians and the world watched in horror as a devastating fire tore through the centuries-old cathedral. The April 2019 fire damaged some parts of the cathedral irrevocably, though a feared collapse was averted. The fire toppled the iconic spire, melted the lead-covered roof, and brought charred beams and stones crashing down. The first task after the fire was to stabilize the structure. Then the cleaning that eradicated both fire damage and centuries of dirt. More than 2,000 architects, engineers, and craftspeople used artisanal methods to painstakingly re-create what was lost and restore what could be saved.
Firefighters saved the towers. Some of the limestone gargoyles and grotesques were damaged by water pressure from the hoses and have been restored or recarved.
The eight bells of the north tower have been cleaned and restored. The pair of bells in the south tower were undamaged. Three new bells have been installed above the altar.
Though modern designs were proposed, the decision favored a reproduction of the 315-foot spire that was toppled by the fire. The rooster atop the spire is new, it has "wings of fire" representing the cathedral, like a phoenix, rising from the ashes; the damaged rooster will be displayed in a new museum. The sixteen copper statues below the spire had been removed before the fire as part of restoration work, they have been reinstalled.
The flying buttresses played an important role in preventing the cathedral's collapse during the fire.
The stained-glass rose windows survived the fire and will be fully restored as part of future work.
Notre Dame will reopen December 8th.
with attribution to "Notre Dame unveiled", Washington Post, December 6, 2024
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