Four years after fire, Notre Dame Cathedral completes new spire

French President Emmanuel Macron (center) inspects the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, April 15, 2021

The restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral’s famous spire is expected to be completed by the end of this year. It will be an exact replica of the 96-meter-high spire that architect Viollet-Le-Duc designed and built for the cathedral in the 19th century. The new spire will be made of oak and covered with lead. The 80-ton wooden base of the spire, which sits on stone arches 30 meters above the cathedral’s center, will be completed by April 15 – exactly four years to the day after the fire that shocked the world.

Notre Dame is scheduled to reopen late next year. The fire at the world-famous landmark has prompted a global outpouring of support and solidarity, with 846 million euros ($935 million) donated to the reconstruction effort.

French authorities say the clean-up of the 42,000 square metres of walls, decorations and vaults left by the fire is “progressing well”. Work has been underway since November to rebuild the collapsed walls, while work has also begun on the organ, which is undamaged but covered in lead dust. All 8,000 pipes will be disassembled for cleaning and then reassembled one by one.

Plans to redesign the interior of Notre Dame Cathedral will be approved this summer, aiming to create "an educational and spiritual journey" for visitors, according to Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich.

French authorities are still investigating to determine the cause of the fire, as well as the lead contamination that occurred afterward.

This week, the government also announced a budget of 220 million euros (about 242.5 million USD) to restore and ensure the safety of 87 cathedrals across France.

According to VNA