Five years after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral is nearing completion as the eyes of the world turn to Paris for the Olympic Games.

On the evening of 15 April 2019, a fire broke out in the roof of the cathedral. Soon, it had engulfed the spire and nearly brought down the central bell towers. Around the world, TV viewers watched in horror as the medieval building burned.

Macron, whose second and final term ends in 2027, wants the restoration of the cathedral to improve the nation’s mood – and his government’s approval rating.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are hosted only once in a century, someone builds a cathedral only once in a millennium,” Macron said in his 2024 New Year’s speech.

It was not clear what was the exact cause of the fire. French authorities have said an electrical fault or a lit cigarette could be to blame.

“One firefighter told me, ‘Sir, take a close look at the facade because if we don’t get this fire out, it’s all going to be ruined,'” recalled Patrick Chauvet, former Notre Dame chief priest.

The facade held, but the damage required five years of intensive stabilization and restoration works.

The heads of those working on this project are proud.

“It’s the construction of a lifetime, because to restore an entire monument to its three-dimensionality, it’s quite unusual,” said Emma Roux, an artisan who works on the famous stained glass windows.

The reopening is scheduled for December, and is currently on schedule, according to the official leading the project.

“We’re on time and on budget,” Philip Jost said at a Senate hearing last month.

Joost told lawmakers that the project has cost 550 million euros ($587 million) so far, financed largely by donations, including from luxury sector billionaires Francois-Henri Pinault and Arnault. Family included. He said that so much money has been donated that there will be funds left for further investment in the building.

Joost added that “an additional €150 million will be made available and – with the approval of our sponsors – will be used to restore the cathedral and deal with the problems before the fire, mainly the exterior stone. are related to the work of,” Jost added.

Jost, 63, an engineer by training who spent most of his career at the Defense Ministry, took over in August 2023 after the death of his predecessor, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, in a hiking accident.

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