September 14: When Notre Dame caught fire last spring, there was a wide-spread sense of loss. Although initially things looked bleak, it emerged that although the roof structures were largely destroyed, much damage to the church may have been avoided.
As the money poured in, President Macron suggested that Notre Dame might be re-built in 5 years, an idea that I find ridiculous. The French can hardly organize going to dinner in 5 years, never mind restoring a monument with international significance. Whatever the case, much work has been done in the intervening few months. The roof has been temporarily replaced and many of the flying buttresses have been reinforced. It may be difficult to see in the accompanying photo, but the timbers used in the roof structure are gigantic. They may be 2 metres thick.
I find it remarkable that so much has been done given the scale of the challenge and the work itself, and it’s surprising to me that so much is in place so soon after the fire. It continues to be a major project that will occupy the heart of Paris for many years to come. I only hope that they can accomplish it in under 20 years.
