Notre Dame Parvis reopens a year after blaze

Posted on 3 June 2020

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris went up in flames in April 2019. The iconic 13th century medieval cathedral was undergoing a €6 million (R114,501,900) renovation when the fire ensued.

The 857-year-old Gothic building’s spire and roof collapsed from the damage. Fortunately the main structure and two bell towers were saved from the flames, as well as artifacts from inside the building, including the Crown of Thorns.

The cathedral had one of the oldest surviving wood-timber frames in Paris, called ‘The Forest’. A total of 52 acres of trees were cut down in the 12th century as each beam was made from an individual tree. This structure unfortunately was destroyed by the flames.

Now over a year later, the Parvis (an enclosed area located in front of a church or cathedral) is once again open to visitors. This site was coated in lead pollution following the fire and was closed immediately.

In a statement, the City of Love said: ‘The City of Paris, the Diocese of Paris and the Public Institution responsible for the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral (RNDP) welcome this reopening authorized by order of the Police Prefect following the notice favorable from the Ile-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS).’

The statement continued, ‘In accordance with the recommendations of the ARS, regular cleaning of the site will be provided by the City and samples will also be taken.’

Image credit: Unsplash

 






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