Saving Notre Dame: An Epic Endeavour - Part 2

I continued my return visit to Notre Dame by crossing le Pont de l’Archevêché and making my way down to the riverbank. I wanted to recreate the scene I had discovered two years earlier while passing under le Pont de la Tournelle. And while the spot remained a place for youthful gatherings, the view from it had changed drastically. And I was to get a little closer look a few days later when I had the privilege of rowing ‘La Traversée de Paris‘.

The Treasures of Notre Dame

In the meantime though, my mind went to recalling my visit to the Treasury of Notre Dame three years earlier. And I gave a silent prayer of thanks for the priests and firefighters who had bravely rescued its contents during the blaze. Treasures such as a life-sized silver statue of the Madonna and Child, elaborately embroidered priests’ vestments and angelically wreathed calligraphied prayers were all saved from the flames due to their efforts. Located next to the south transept, the Treasury housed a variety of cherished items, many of a liturgical nature. And as the monstrance and reliquaries below show, they consisted of elaborate, bejewelled designs cast in precious metals. Two of the other treasures that I came across during that visit were located in the nave of the cathedral. I expect that the stone plaque commemorating the beginning of construction in 1163 likely survived the fire. However, I doubt that the beautiful maquette – model – of Notre Dame did.

Ongoing Risks

My ruminations of the fate of these treasures complete, I continued my pilgrimage around Notre Dame. I crossed le Pont de la Tournelle and strolled along the edge of Île Saint-Louis for a different perspective. The wooden supports under her famed flying buttresses gave the perception that the cathedral is saved. However, her future is not yet guaranteed. For even as I was preparing for this autumn visit, there were concerns that the extreme summer heat would further weaken the mortar. And in January, the French general appointed to lead the reconstruction, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, stated that there is a strong likelihood of the stone vaults collapsing as efforts are made to remove the charred scaffolding which once surrounded la flèche – the spire. To prevent this, another set of scaffolding will be built around the existing one. Workers will then be suspended from it to, bit by bit, cut away the original one. Only after successfully completing this delicate exercise, can reconstruction begin. All of that is on hold for now though. For France, along with the rest of the world, battles COVID-19 with strict lockdowns.

Glimmers of Hope

There are glimmers of hope though. This past weekend as Paris celebrated Easter, Archbishop Michel Aupetit donned a hardhat and entered the cathedral. He then celebrated a special Good Friday service, along with six others, under the golden cross that still stands at the alter of the fire-scarred cathedral. And on April 15th, the first anniversary of the fire, the sound of one of Notre Dame’s bells rang out through the city once more. For on that day, several bellringers, armoured in protective gear against lead contamination, climbed one of the towers to ring one of Our Lady’s grand bells.God-willing, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris will be saved and returned to her former glory. And that, before long, we will once again see the roses at her feet, her majestic towers shining in the sun and a new flèche reaching towards the heavens.
In the meantime, experience a Christmas service in this great cathedral in my post Christmas Eve in Paris: Notre Dame.