Effort aims to return fire-damaged Notre Dame Cathedral to its original glory
The cornerstone for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was laid in 1163. One of the world's most famous churches was not completed until 1345. Work continued for many years thereafter with modifications and additions.
Notre Dame in English means "Our Lady," giving the Roman Catholic church the name Our Lady of Paris and it is one of the most famous churches in the world and the finest example of French Gothic architecture.
More: University of Alabama professor helps effort to restore fire-damaged Notre Dame Cathedral
The church sits on an island in the Seine River, the Île de la Cité in Paris. The church features the unmistakable look imparted by the flying buttresses all around the exterior. The flying buttress was an engineering innovation enabling the stone walls to be built higher. They impart lateral stability to the walls, preventing the weight of the roof from pressing out and causing a structural failure.
A devastating fire on April 15, 2019, destroyed the wooden roof. That part of the building was known as the forest. It featured 1,300 wooden beams, each cut from a single tree. The lead covering on the roof was vaporized by the heat of the fire and turned into dust. The dust is very hazardous to humans and is systematically being removed during the restoration.
Jennifer Feltman, a professor at the University of Alabama, is assisting with the study of the sculptures on the exterior of the famed church said, "When the roof caught fire, it vaporized the lead. That all came down and settled in the cathedral. Any time I go into the cathedral now, I have to wear a special suit. They are very careful about protecting people who are in the site. They do have us wear special white suits and you take a shower on the way out. None of your clothes come in or out with you. You wear the special clothes they give you then you just throw them away."
The study, conservation, and restoration work on the cathedral is ongoing, and the famous church remains closed as the process continues. When the building reopens to the public, the interior will look much as it did to a parishioner in the 12th or 13th century due to the cleaning and restoration work.
"The restoration has provided the opportunity for the cleaning of the whole cathedral. They have been spraying a latex onto the stone. It grabs the dirt of the centuries. As they pull it off, the stone looks like it is fresh. People think that something is old should have a patina on it. It seems more antique when you have that on it, but really, what you will see is what it would have looked like to medieval people," Feltman said.
"I do think it will be shocking to some because people were used to a very dark space. They are going to see a very clean space that’s going to be brighter than it has ever been in our time," she said.
Reach Gary Cosby Jr. at gary.cosby@tuscaloosanews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Teams work on restoration of fire-damaged Notre Dame Cathedral
