Reconstruction, investigation … Two years later, where are we?

Two after the fire, Notre-Dame de Paris still looks like a second iron lady in the capital, surrounded by scaffolding. Today, however, it is no longer a question of the maze of iron gutted after the fire, but of what will be used for the reconstruction of the building. A reconstruction that has not actually started yet.

20 minutes takes stock of the construction sites around and in the cathedral, the costs and the investigation into the origin of the fire.

Where is the worksite at?

Two years after the fire, reconstruction has, as has been said, not started. And for good reason: the dismantling of the scaffolding which had partly melted above the cathedral was only completed at the end of 2020. A platform was installed instead, above the nave. The building is also protected from bad weather by a sort of “umbrella”. It will take a few more months, until the end of the summer, to complete the stabilization and preservation phase of the building. It has not been so long since the risk of collapse has been ruled out: the cathedral is supported on all sides or almost.

Note, however, that two of the twenty-four chapels of the cathedral, “very damaged by pollution, but also by water leaks”, as explained on France Info the rector of the cathedral, Mgr Patrick Chauvet, have already been renovated. It was decided to reconstruct the original wooden frame “identically”. Ditto for the spire built by Violet-le-Duc in the 19th century.

One question remains for the roof: Will there be a lead roof again, which has completely melted and partly polluted the area? According to the rector of the cathedral, it is with lead that the Monuments of France recommend to restore monuments like Notre-Dame. Another option would be to switch to zinc, but “there is also, unfortunately, pollution with zinc”, recalls Bishop Patrick Chauvet.

How much does it cost ?

We remember the huge influx of donations two years ago after the shock. 833 million euros were sent or promised, by individuals or large companies. We do not yet know very well whether this will be sufficient and we should not know for a long time, as the forecasts on this type of site are uncertain, which is more in times of pandemic.

But some are already arguing that there would be … too much money. Wednesday, in the Senate, the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, did not go that far, but she still declared that “at the present time, the sums collected allow us to calmly consider this site. “. What we are sure for the moment is that “more than 100 million euros” have already been used, said Guillaume Poitrinal, the president of the Heritage Foundation, on France Info. Rather 165 million, according to LCI.

Will the 2024 bet be held?

The day after the fire, Emmanuel Macron announced that he wanted to “rebuild” Notre-Dame in five years, for 2024, the year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Two of the five years have already passed, and in the mouths of those responsible for the site, the word “rebuild” has given way to the word “reopen”. Thursday morning on France Inter, Jean-Louis Georgelin, the head of the public establishment responsible for overseeing the site, recognized that “the mission is difficult”. “We must focus on the objective of returning the cathedral to worship and visitation in 2024. This is what the President of the Republic wants and we will meet the deadline. It remains to be seen what is meant by “reopening”.

On France Info, the rector of the cathedral, Mgr Patrick Chauvet, says he has “good hope” of being able to once again organize “regular” masses in Notre-Dame in three years. For tourists (10 million per year before the fire), it might be more complicated: “I can’t afford to let people in if there is still scaffolding,” he warns. If the tourists are back in 2024, it will not be at the rate before anyway, since it is certain that the work is not finished, at least on the outside of the building. “It will even take years to complete such a project,” notes Bishop Patrick Chauvet. To redo the flying buttresses, I had been told that there would be ten years. “

Towards a requalification of the district?

The day after the fire, Anne Hidalgo announced a contribution of 50 million euros from the City for the restoration of the cathedral. But “in agreement with the State”, according to her, this sum will finally be devoted to the redevelopment of the surroundings of the site, and in particular of the square. The architects will be chosen by competition after a “very broad consultation”, with the diocese in particular. “Citizens will therefore be at the heart of the selection process for the winning team by a jury, in spring 2022”, promises the mayor in The cross this Thursday.

Anne Hidalgo wants a “much more welcoming” square and “to restrict the place of the car” around the site. Owned by the city, the underground car park located under the forecourt, closed since the fire and for which the operator must be compensated, must become “a warm place where visitors will find a concierge and other practical services”. This redevelopment could allow access by the quays of the Seine, “by riverboats or water taxis”, according to Anne Hidalgo. The timing will depend on the completion of work on the cathedral itself. The first deputy in charge of Urbanism, Emmanuel Grégoire, told AFP his hope to start the redevelopment “from 2024”.

What about the fire investigation?

Two years later, the investigators finished their investigations in the rubble, but a long phase of analysis of the samples must still extend over several months to try to determine the origin of the disaster. “In the current state of affairs, it is not possible to say that one day we will be able to say with certainty what could have been at the origin of the fire”, in particular in view of the extent of damage caused by the fire, observes a source from AFP.

In June 2019, at the end of the preliminary investigation, the Paris prosecutor indicated that he favored the accidental track. Nothing since seems to accredit the criminal trail. “For the moment, we remain on the same theses: the butt, the short-circuit”, indicates the source close to the investigation, still considering that it is “too early” to say that one of these two options is privileged.