Notre-Dame de Paris Regains Its Spire

The promise was kept: the establishment charged with the reconstruction of the most famous cathedral indicated that the silhouette of the spire, brutally erased from the Parisian horizon during the fire of April 15, 2019, would be visible “before Christmas.” Its wooden frame, topped by its metal cross, towers once again in the Paris sky at 96 meters tall.

The spire, identical to the one designed by architect Viollet-le-Duc in the 19^th century, will, however, still only be perceptible for a while through the scaffolding, which “will be used to place the [lead] sheets and lead ornaments in 2024,” as a statement had also indicated.

It's a magnificent result for the carpenters who fashioned the spire in the workshop and mounted it piece by piece in the center of the cathedral, but also for all the tradesmen who contributed to the success of this particularly symbolic stage: project managers, architects, site coordinators, scaffolders, crane and quality coordinators, crane operators, roofers, and gilders.

After the rooster is placed at the summit of the cross in the coming days, the carpenters will pass the baton to the roofers and overlay artisans, who will cover this structural masterpiece in lead so that it will last for centuries.

The Interior Restoration Draws to a Close

The same source explains that, in what concerns the interior restoration, “the concurrent cleaning of the walls, the painted decorations, and the vaults—a total surface area of 42,000 square meters—draws to a close and the scaffolding is gradually being dismantled.” The cathedral will be ready to welcome its new liturgical furnishings toward the end of 2024.

In October the cathedral had already received its stained glass windows. Removed in the days following the fire and restored in a workshop over the course of four years, the tall windows of the cathedral are now all back in their places.

The master glassmakers first replaced the metal fittings, or “barlotières,” then the glass panels which they support. In the lower register, these depict angels carrying reliquaries on which are inscribed verses from litanies to the Blessed Virgin. In the lancets, saints or emblematic figures take their place. In the circular openings, prophets and apostles are depicted.

The panels placed, the master glassmakers reinforce them with “vergettes,” fine horizontal metal bars held by kinds of pegs: “clavettes.”

They also place lead joints which connect the panels to each other to boost the building’s insulation and wrap over themselves to avoid protruding over the pattern. They therefore receive a poetic name: “rosettes.” Finally, the artisans apply dyed putty, to make the windows airtight.

The axial stained glass window, which depicts Christ crowning the Virgin Mary, was the last to be reinstalled. At the bottom of the grand aisle, which will have regained its radiance, it is she who will welcome visitors when the cathedral reopens on December 8, 2024—a date which seems today to be well confirmed.