Notre-Dame de Paris: immersion in the site of the century

” DO NOT ENTER CONSTRUCTION SITE ” : at the crossroads of rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame and rue des Chanoinesses, the sign riveted into the steel palisades painted white is explicit. To his left, a large door flanked by a digicode. In this early winter afternoon, there are many entries. Behind the half-opening leaf stands out the chevet of Notre-Dame, while in the background, under large tents, craftsmen and companions are finishing their lunch. A little further on, the locker rooms welcome those who are going to join the site, donning their protection against lead, before coming out from the back, a helmet on their head.

High in the sky, the arms of the cranes move slowly, in relative silence. On the square, the two side portals – of Saint Anne and of the Virgin – are open. Despite some barriers across, crossing them is easy. From inside, two men moving scaffolding tubes motion to enter. The noise level increases: metallic noises, hammer blows, the hum of a vacuum cleaner, the beep-beep of a forklift truck backing up suggest the unsuspected effervescence that hides behind the walls. Inside, it’s a veritable forest of scaffolding that is revealed at first glance from all sides, as far as the eye can see.

At the crossing of the transept of Notre-Dame de Paris, four wooden half-hangers have been placed on a floor installed on a 26-meter scaffolding in order to reconstruct the arches of the vault. The scaffolding will continue to rise as the spire is built.

“/>

At the crossing of the transept of Notre-Dame de Paris, four wooden half-hangers have been placed on a floor installed on a 26-meter scaffolding in order to reconstruct the arches of the vault. The scaffolding will continue to rise as the spire is built. Photo: Patrick Zachmann – Magnum Photos.

“ It’s a passage from darkness to light »

Weaving through this gray and blue metallic maze, we can gradually make out the side chapels, which are also completely scaffolded. In the Saint-Marcel chapel, Marie-Cécile Kfouri, a brush in her hand, is hard at work. The group to which it belongs is notably responsible for the radiant chapels of the choir, decorated by Viollet-le-Duc. Objective: consolidate and reattach the painted layer, remove dirt, put plaster on the gaps, and touch up the paint. “The cleaning is spectacular, it’s a passage from shadow to light”, enthuses the young restaurateur. This is the third time that she has intervened at Notre-Dame. “We had restored a chapel six months before the fire. As a result, we were requisitioned just after this one to carry out tests and establish a cleaning and restoration protocol for the other chapels. Finally came our current intervention, after selection on call for tenders. »

Three phases, under very different conditions: “The first time, we worked to the rhythm of the offices and among the pilgrims. The second, we intervened with a risk of collapse, implying regular evacuations. Now we are in a dynamic of construction, driven by hope, renewal, rebirth. » A practicing Catholic, she sees in these three stages a metaphor for “spiritual path” of life. “When we saw the emotion that the fire aroused throughout the world, we can imagine what Notre-Dame represents for the 12 million pilgrims and visitors who go there each year. We are therefore trying to work to restore all its beauty.says the young woman, very attached to the building. “Like any Christian, I have a devotion to the Virgin, so being at Notre-Dame is already a great opportunity. And it turns out that I have a special connection to Notre-Dame de Paris, which has brought me a lot on a personal level. »

In the chapel of Saint-Marcel, last September, the color of the decor appeared during cleaning, contrasting with the dark layer covering the paintings. The aim of the restoration is, among other things, to restore all parts of the building to their purity, colors and clarity. As a result, the cathedral will be dazzling when it reopens.

“/>

In the Saint-Marcel chapel, last September, the color of the decor appeared during cleaning, contrasting with the dark layer covering the paintings. The aim of the restoration is, among other things, to restore all parts of the building to their purity, colors and clarity. As a result, the cathedral will be dazzling when it reopens. Photo: Patrick Zachmann – Magnum Photos.

A building site “ unique, meaningful »

Back to the scrap world. A few meters from this chapel, on the choir side, stands a sculpted and painted stone wall from the 14th century: the choir fence, the side remains of the old rood screen. He too was surrounded by several floors of tarpaulin scaffolding. On the lower part appear, inscribed in golden letters, the names of the archbishops of Paris who succeeded one another.

After a few moments of climbing the creaking steps, behind a metal trap door, the magnificent scenes of Christ’s childhood depicted by artists from the late Middle Ages and reworked in the 19th century appear. “We have just carried out an aqueous cleaning of the surface to remove dirt and dust”, says Maud Pouliot, restorer perched on this floor working on the scene of the baptism of Christ. Dross for a part prior to the fire but which it has largely densified. “We also fix the gilding, consolidating by injection of adhesive the places where there are uprisings. It is a very interesting work, which requires extreme meticulousness. » She too feels a particular joy working on this site. “unique, meaningful, in this place steeped in history”. “It is very moving to be able to be here after this tragedy which has affected us all. Participating in restoring the splendor of the cathedral is very touching. We feel very lucky, proud and grateful to be able to participate in such a project. »

At the end of November, the vault of the north transept, in which there was a gaping hole caused by the fall of elements from the spire, was closed, before being covered with a screed of lime and fibers. It was the first of the perforated vaults that was reconstructed, explains Arnaud Morençais, site manager at the Lefèvre company, who, at the head of a team of thirty-five masons-stonemasons, led to well this job.

“/>

At the end of November, the vault of the north transept, in which there was a gaping hole caused by the fall of elements from the spire, was closed, before being covered with a screed of lime and fibers. It was the first of the perforated vaults that was reconstructed, explains Arnaud Morençais, site manager at the Lefèvre company, who, at the head of a team of thirty-five masons-stonemasons, led to well this job. Photo: Patrick Zachmann – Magnum Photos.

In the conversations under the vaults, the recurrence of this feeling of recognition is striking. “Despite the weight of responsibilities, stress, fatigue, constant vigilance, I am still very lucky to be able to restore this cathedral which is so dear to my heart, to work to make it even more beautiful”confides Philippe Villeneuve, chief architect of historical monuments, responsible for the Notre-Dame site.

Already 120 tons of scaffolding

Near the enclosure of the choir, large black sheaths containing electric cables are suspended, an improbable decoration linking the bays to each other along the nave, whose central nave is made almost invisible from the aisles because of the metallic tangle. A few passages have been set up to access this place in the heart of the building where the faithful gathered until April 2019.

Today, the floor is covered with a wooden cladding, the space is entirely surrounded by scaffolding, including the particularly impressive one mounted at the transept crossing to restore the spire and the vault. The admiration of the technical prowess cannot restrain the pang of the heart of the glance accustomed to being directed towards the altar and the large cross, which must temporarily be satisfied with the geometric shapes of the thousands of metal bars. “He’s handsome, huh? »proudly launches Gabriel Rivet, site manager for Europe Échafaudage. “He’s going to keep going up. We already have 120 tons laid. But this is only part of the first third, which should be 200 tons. »

In parallel, to the right of the nave, the opposite work is carried out. “We are in the process of removing the scaffolding from the south transept, because the restorations there have been completed., describes Philippe Villeneuve. Sun this part, we can already see what the cathedral will look like in 2024, when it reopens. » At the very top of the crossing of the transept were, before the fire, four sculpted and painted stone angel heads. Found in the rubble, two of them are among the works treated in the “sculpture workshop” installed in front of Notre-Dame. While most of the stone carvings will be restored in the building, a few will be here. This is the case with certain gargoyles.

The entire building is currently filled with scaffolding to allow restorers to intervene at all levels.

“/>

The entire building is currently filled with scaffolding to allow restorers to intervene at all levels. Photo: Patrick Zachmann – Magnum Photos.

Four of them (out of fifty-two) must have been put down just after the fire: The Pelican, The Woman with the Dog’s Head, The reptile and The Angel of the Last Judgment. “They were very affected by the fire”says Giuseppina Genna, restorer of stone sculptures. “We are in the process of cleaning and consolidating them, in order to serve as models”adds this very experienced Sicilian for whom this site is her “love forever”. These are therefore copies that will return, in their place, to contemplate the Parisians from the heights of the building. Up there, the collective effort is in full swing. At the crossing of the transept, 26 meters from the ground, four enormous wooden half-hangers have been arranged to prepare the installation of the spire. “One of the objectivessays Philippe Villeneuve, is that we may have installed the spire stool – its wooden support – in the spring of 2023.” It is only after the installation of the spire that the vault of the crossing of the transept will be closed.

The vaults of the north transept completed

This does not prevent other parts of the vaults from already being restored. Perforated during the fire, that of the north transept has just been completed. “There was a big gaping hole here, which we closed”, says Arnaud Morençais, site manager for the Lefèvre company, showing the redone vault below him. An important step since it is the first to have been closed.

A little further, above the nave, appears the other gaping hole that its teams will have to repair, before the installation of the new framework which will overhang it. “It’s a singular restoration project in terms of the amount of work to be done on the vaults, but also because there is work on practically all parts of the building. It almost looks like a construction site. » Its scale, he further emphasizes, has the consequence of bringing together stakeholders who generally act individually on different sites. “Usually, they are competitors, there we meet everyone and we all work together for the same goal. » We can see there one of the explanations for the spirit of enthusiasm which, in a very palpable way, inhabits all those who are currently working tirelessly to restore Notre-Dame de Paris to its beauty and brilliance.