Five years ago, a ravenous fire destroyed the Notre Dame Cathedral, better known as Notre Dame de Paris or Our Lady of Paris. This breathtaking establishment housed many of humanity’s pinnacles of art and even what is believed to be the Crown of Thorns that Jesus Christ wore during his crucifixion. Parisians were devastated and in mourning, as the spirit of their city had been burnt to the point of being unrecognizable. What was once one of the world’s oldest paradigms of Gothic architecture was charred to nothing. However, the French were not easily discouraged and set their sights on bringing the iconic symbol back to Paris.
Friends Of Notre Dame De Paris is an international non-profit that has since then worked to restore the cathedral, and has vowed to fund the recreation of the structure. After the destruction of the church, the organization contributed 20 million dollars toward the overall reconstruction. Without the thousands of donors from more than 50 countries outside of France, there is no certainty on if the cathedral would even be renovated at all. The efforts of FONDDP have proved successful, as the church is now 90 percent restored and is set to reopen in December of this year.
Much progress has been made in bringing back the beloved cathedral. Nearly 1,000 workers are associated with the church’s restoration, both on the actual construction site and in various workshops in France. The grand organ, chapels, and choir are also nearly finished lately. Fundamental components such as the vaults and buttress walls have been reinstated or replaced entirely. Overall, the current construction status makes it certain that the cathedral will be restored completely by the end of the year, if not sooner.
Unfortunately, the building was not the only revolutionary work of art that perished in the fire. Many notable artifacts and artistic elements such as the stone gargoyles, The Portal of The Last Judgement sculpture, and paintings such as The Crucifixion of Saint Peter require restoration. According to the official Friends Of Notre Dame De Paris website, most of these pieces were long overdue for restoration beforehand, some of which date back to the 12th century. These ancient artifacts are handled with the utmost care by the FONDDP team, as their age makes them very fragile. While the restoration team is working hard to restore them to glory, mankind will never be able to replicate these works again.
The sheer genius behind the Notre Dame Cathedral cannot be perfectly replicated, however, it can still be brought back to life through the passion of numerous workers and volunteers working hard to reinstitute the heart of Paris.
