The Notre-Dame de Paris “Maison du Chantier” reveals the secrets of the restoration

A “Construction site house“, installed under the forecourt of Notre-Dame Cathedral, offers from Tuesday an educational journey in five languages ​​to discover the gigantic restoration work following the 2019 fire.

In free access and without reservation, the exhibition “Notre-Dame de Paris: at the heart of the construction site“, designed for all audiences by the Establishment responsible for the conservation and restoration of the cathedral, offers an unprecedented dive into the highlights of the construction site, but also to discover the crafts of the “cathedral builders“.

Read alsoExhibition: more than three years after the fire, the construction site of Notre-Dame de Paris deciphered

Sections of 13th century beams, from the frame destroyed by the fire, are presented in particular, but also the traditional techniques still used in the restoration, while the reopening of the building is still scheduled for December 2024. Models, reproduction of stained glass windows and immersive films also help to understand the challenges of the construction site.

“We wanted this space to be as educational as possible, while being accessible to all audiences to help discover what is happening behind the palisades of the site. It is also an opportunity to renew a link between the public and the cathedral which, before the fire, was the most visited monument in Europe with 12 million visitors per year.“Explained to AFP Lisa Bergugnat, head of programming for the public establishment responsible for the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame. Finally for General Jean-Louis Georgelin, in charge of this titanic restoration, “the Site Center presents all the know-how that contributes to the restoration of the cathedral and which will arouse vocations“.

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