Notre Dame de Paris: All Clean and Shiny

Coming back through Paris on my way to the second adventure chapter had three reasons. The first was JetBlue is the best quality and priced flights and my round trips are now from Paris instead of the United States making it an imperative (oh darn). The second was jet lag recovery. It takes me at least a day and a half to coherently function after flying in this direction. If I'm in Paris, I don't feel like I'm wasting time. I know where things are that I want to see or, if its something new, and there is always something new, I can find it fairly easily. There's no real learning curve. Notre Dame de Paris was the third and premier reason for the four day stop. It opened back up two weeks after I left in November making my seriously question my need to be with family and friends for Thanksgiving (kidding, sort of). The pictures and videos of the grand reopening were incredible. Since the fire in April, 2019, it has been shrouded in scaffolding. The repairs, rebuilds, and overall renovations were documented through a social media page and I watched in awe of the creativity and craftmanship that has been harvested from around the world. Not to mention the money. It came from everywhere except a handful of countries in Africa and Russia. For once in the fundraising universe, there was more than enough.

 It is important to start with the only reason this exists, Les Sapeur-Pompiers, the French fire brigade. Firefighters the world over are heroes, saving and protecting the people we love and the things we hold dear. In France, they are a bit different. They are held to the highest degree of physical fitness specifically with a daily Plank Test. In full gear, these men and women must climb onto a plank that is about six feet off the ground. If they are unable, they are considered unfit. This exceptional prowess may have been the advantage needed in defeating the blaze according to journalist Agnès Poirier in his book Notre Dame: The Soul of France. The demands were incredible but they saved the most possible. Along with one of the helmets worn by the Paris fire brigade, is an alter cross now embellished with molten lead from the destroyed ceiling of the cathedral.

All of the chandeliers and sconces were covered in the soot and grime of the fire. Two (only two) chandeliers were damaged from falling to the marble floors. They were taken apart and thoroughly cleaned, polished, and revarnished with gold. After being assembled again, with new cables added, the cathedral welcomed them back home this past September. A more beautiful illumination has never existed

The rose windows of Notre Dame de Paris were installed in the 13th century. The others had been replaced with the latest version coming in the 19th century. There is over 1,000 square feet of stained glass and none had ever been cleaned meaning there was no plan in place on how this should be done. Miraculously (there is a lot of that in this ordeal) the crashing of the spire created what little breakage there was. The firefighters took great care that the powerful water streams from their hoses didn’t damage them. Imagine for a moment the Herculean feat it was to fight a raging inferno of a national treasure from the inside AND being mindful not to break the glass. Like I said previously, the stuff of legends. The rose windows were cleaned in place while the others were removed and taken to French, and one German, glass manufacturers. They were painstakingly cleaned with bits of cotton, water, and ethanol. There is some drama to accompany the windows as six have been slated to be replaced by a contemporary artist. This was originally discussed as a “just in case” but is going forward. Maybe. Many are attempting to block the project and it may be in violation of the Venice Charter (1964) which protects historic buildings. Currently the new windows are scheduled for installation in 2026. We shall see…

Lead dust and particles from the burning and collapse of the ceiling were a major concern during the first stages of the cleanup. Vacuums with filters to specifically remove the lead were brought in and all areas of stone were dusted off. Then came the controversial use of latex which was sprayed onto the stone structures. It was left for a few days and then peeled away bring with it all the dirt and grime not only from the fire but years and years of pollution and people. Some conservationists felt the result was too bright, “Disney-esque”. I think not. Illumination is a better word for the outcome

All paintings were removed immediately after the fire. The cleaning and repair was given over to three workshops in Paris and entrusted to Painting Restorers, a designation that requires a Master’s degree. These individuals were also Heritage Restorers, awarded this by the French National Institute for Heritage for those with the Master’s from the Sorbonne or other specialists’ school. They work in teams with some focused on cleaning, some on repair, and some on restoration. All twenty two pieces have been recovered beautifully.

It was difficult to maintain composure throughout this visit. It could all have been gone. It could have ended up less. Altered. A shell. A memory to be turned to lore, remembered first hand by many, then few, then not at all. The checkered marble floor, the staunch, concrete enclosed pillars, the jeweled sunlight cascading through stained glass. A treasure lost to a sea of flames. But instead it has been saved, recreated as if new. The world has truly been blessed.