Notre-Dame : one year later

On 15 April 2019, a devastating fire struck Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, unleashing a wave of solidarity throughout France and all over the world. Fondation de France immediately mobilized its network and launched a special fund to enable huge numbers of donors to help rebuild the cathedral.

With over 30 years’ experience in disaster relief, Fondation de France was chosen as one of four institutions authorized to collect French and international donations to rebuild France’s architectural jewel. It very quickly launched a special fund to allow donors to express their generosity by helping to rebuild the cathedral. So far it has collected more than 29 million euros in funding for the work required to make the site safe and begin reconstruction.

Making the site safe

In the days following the fire, a huge plastic sheet was installed to ensure rain water would not cause further damage. Another urgent measure has been to consolidate the building. Three months after the fire struck, the monument is now partially stable. But work to make the site safe is still ongoing, with parts of the building, particularly the vault, remaining fragile. Frames have been installed to prop up the flying buttresses and, as a safety measure, robot earthmovers are being used to clear rubble from the nave. A total of “about one hundred people” work tirelessly every day. Currently, one of the most delicate tasks is to remove scaffolding installed before the fire for planned restoration work on the spire. This stage starts up at the beginning of the coming year and is scheduled to take five months. A 84-meter-high crane is already in place to remove the 200 tonnes of scaffolding, left twisted and fused by the heat of the blaze. The structure will be carefully dismantled by a team of steeplejacks equipped with power saws to cut it into pieces.

Artwork and artifacts not damaged by the blaze have all been stored in a safe place. The stained-glass windows have been taken down to be restored and a special procedure to carry out restoration work on the pipe organs is underway.