Last December 8, the new Notre-Dame cathedral was inaugurated after the fire suffered in 2019. In LOCK & enjoy! we tell you what are the curiosities of the new Notre-Dame cathedral so you do not miss any detail on your visit to the city.
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The main curiosities of the new Notre-Dame cathedral
We would like to emphasize that France has made a titanic effort to restore the splendor of one of the greatest Gothic temples in the world. Moreover, the reconstruction has been carried out in record time.
Restoration?
The initial idea after the fire was to rebuild the temple, however, it has not gone that far and only a complete renovation has been necessary.
Therefore, all the elements that were damaged or directly destroyed have been recovered and recreated. However, most of the most valuable sculptures, statues and decorations were not affected by the fire.
For example, to restore the forest of wooden beams that supports the roof, thousands of century-old trees from the Bercé forest had to be felled, as this is where the original material came from. Another example is the bells because they have been restored in a workshop in Normandy where they were made hundreds of years ago.
The furniture was simply cleaned. The wooden furniture, on the other hand, has not. The latter have received a lot of criticism because they are authentic designer furniture.
On the other hand, the organ has been disassembled piece by piece. It has been one of the most expensive tasks, since it is made up of 8000 pipes.
We would like to point out that there is a project underway to open a museum dedicated to objects that were damaged and could not be restored. The idea is that it will be located in the Hôtel-Dieu, very close to the cathedral.
The Needle
The spire crowning Notre-Dame was totally destroyed. The studies and reports prior to the reconstruction were not without controversy, as the initial intention was to replace the original spire with one in a contemporary style.
However, popular pressure and the opinion of most heritage experts eventually led to its replication. Thus, the new Notre-Dame has a 90-meter-high lead-lined wooden spire with the same 19th century design.
Stained glass and tapestries
On the south facade of the cathedral there are 6 stained glass windows that remained intact after the fire. They were placed in the 19th century by the author Viollet-le-Duc.
However, there is a plan to replace them in 2026. This question is not yet closed because art and heritage specialists claim that such a change would break the architectural unity. On the other hand, the Archbishopric of Paris advocates giving a more contemporary touch to the temple.
The altarpieces of the Spanish painter Miquel Barceló are present in the remodeling, more specifically in the north side chapel.
El Gallo
The rooster crowning the spire of Notre-Dame has also been completely replaced. Likewise, its initial structure and design has been maintained. It is important to keep in mind that this rooster is an emblem of France due to the fact that it is on the shield of the national teams, as well as many French brands. For the French, it is a symbol of pride and strength due to its imposing crowing.
The new rooster was designed by Philippe Villeneuve; its main feature is that it is covered in gold.
Stone
The stone has not been without controversy either. The first criticisms did not take long to arrive because the color of the stone was white. However, everything has its explanation.
The original stone has simply been cleaned, since the passage of time and smoke had darkened it, so it is white because it is no longer dirty.
This change has made the cathedral more neo-gothic than gothic in style. Even so, there are experts who have defended keeping part of the stone unrestored so that it could be compared.
Cost
In addition to the record time, we would like to mention that the cost has been covered by private donations. In the first 24 hours, 600 million euros were raised.
In addition, a total of 150 countries have donated 850 million euros.
The final cost was 600 million euros, therefore, 150 million have been left over for future interventions and improvements. It should be noted that the scaffolding will remain in place until 2026 until the controversy over the restoration of the stained glass windows is over.
More than 2,000 workers have made the success of the new Notre-Dame possible.
Entrance
The beginning of the works also opened the debate on whether an entrance fee should be charged to visitors, as is done in other monuments in the country and the world. The idea generated such controversy that it was postponed for a later date, although it is not yet closed.
One of the main novelties is that a digital application has been developed that allows you to reserve a specific time slot to avoid queues.
Come and discover the curiosities of the new Notre-Dame cathedral! At LOCK & enjoy! we also invite you to discover the numerous activities in Paris to enjoy one of the most important cities in the world. We are waiting for you.
