After the devastating fire in 2019, Notre Dame Cathedral will once again begin welcoming visitors in December 2024. However, it should be noted that the complete restoration will only be completed in 2025, if not later.
The restoration of the cathedral is now in full swing. In 2021, many of the cathedral's towers, arches, and walls were restored. In February 2023, construction began on a replica of the 19th-century spire designed by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, which collapsed in a fire. Its construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
In 2023, around 1,000 people are working on the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The reconstruction will be carried out using the same materials and methods that were used in the 12th century. To this end, skilled craftsmen have been brought in, including masons, carpenters, mortar makers, and stonecutters.
From 2019 to 2021, $197 million was allocated for reconstruction. This money was used to stabilize the arches inside the cathedral and to dismantle the scaffolding that was in place during the fire. The French authorities have not yet determined the total cost of the work, but a major European insurance company compares the project to the renovation of the British Parliament buildings in London and estimates it at approximately $8 billion.
Although it is currently impossible to enter the cathedral, a couple of exhibits offer a glimpse inside this large-scale reconstruction. The exhibition "Notre-Dame de Paris: At the Heart of Restoration," located in a new cultural center beneath the cathedral in a former garage, features damaged artifacts salvaged from the fire. The exhibition will be open until December 2024.
And in the Museum of Architecture and Cultural Heritage at Trocadero in Notre Dame de Paris, there are statues of the apostles and evangelists that were taken down from the cathedral's spire for restoration work four days before the fire.
