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France Focuses on Rebuilding Notre-Dame, as Donations Pour In Millions in Notre-Dame Donations Pour In as France Focuses on Rebuilding
(about 2 hours later)
PARIS — Days after a destructive fire tore through the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, France started on Wednesday to focus on reconstruction, with President Emmanuel Macron having set the ambitious goal of rebuilding the Gothic landmark within five years and donations pouring in from around the world. PARIS — Days after a destructive fire tore through Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, France on Wednesday started to focus on reconstruction, with President Emmanuel Macron having set the ambitious goal of rebuilding the Gothic landmark within five years and donations pouring in from around the world.
Édouard Philippe, the French prime minister, said after a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the five-year goal was “obviously an immense challenge,” but also “a historical responsibility.” Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said after a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the government would organize an international architecture competition to design a spire to replace the 19th-century structure that collapsed in the fire on Monday and crashed through the cathedral’s vaulted ceiling. But he said it remained uncertain whether the lost spire — which was added in the 19th century — would be replaced.
Individuals, companies and institutions have so far donated or pledged 845 million euros — about $950 million — to rebuild the damaged cathedral, which has stood for more than eight centuries. On Tuesday, the government set up an online portal that points to four official organizations and foundations that are collecting donations. He added that the five-year goal to rebuilt the cathedral was “obviously an immense challenge,” but also “a historical responsibility.”
Individuals, companies and institutions have so far donated or pledged 845 million euros, about $950 million, to rebuild the damaged cathedral, which has stood for more than eight centuries. On Tuesday, the government set up an online portal pointing to four official organizations and foundations that are collecting donations.
“Each euro that is given for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame will be used for that, and nothing else,” Mr. Philippe said.“Each euro that is given for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame will be used for that, and nothing else,” Mr. Philippe said.
He said that the government would organize an international architecture campaign to design a spire that could replace the 19th-century structure that collapsed in the fire on Monday and crashed through the cathedral’s vaulted ceiling. But Mr. Philippe added that it remained uncertain whether the lost spire — which was added in the 19th century — would be replaced. Next week, the government was scheduled to present a bill to give the donation campaign a legal framework, which would ensure security and transparency, Mr. Philippe said. The legislation would also create tax deductions for French citizens who contribute less than €1,000 to the reconstruction effort.
Mr. Macron was scheduled to discuss reconstruction efforts later Wednesday with members of his cabinet as well as officials from City Hall, the Roman Catholic Church and French cultural agencies. At 6:50 p.m. on Wednesday, all cathedrals in France were expected to toll their bells in honor of the burned cathedral, a calamity that has shocked much of the world. Paris authorities also announced in a statement that a ceremony would be organized on Thursday, during which two large banners paying tribute to Notre-Dame and to those who saved it would be hung from City Hall, and excerpts from Victor Hugo’s “Notre-Dame de Paris” would be read.
Next week, the government is to present a bill to give the donation campaign a legal framework, which will ensure security and transparency, Mr. Philippe said. The legislation will also create tax deductions for French citizens who contribute less than €1,000 to the reconstruction effort. Investigators were questioning witnesses in order to determine what had caused the fire, which caused minor injuries to three people. Rémy Heitz, the Paris prosecutor, said that the investigation would be “long” and “complex,” but it has already become clear that little was in place to prevent the flames from coursing through the cathedral’s attic, a lattice of ancient wooden beams underneath a lead-covered roof.
On Wednesday, as gray skies gave way to blue, the police were still blocking access to the cathedral and to the area around it on the Île de la Cité, one of the islands in the Seine that lie at the heart of Paris. Tourists and ordinary Parisians alike pressed against police barricades along the river, snapping pictures of the beloved symbol of the city, now roofless, and pointing to a cluster of firefighters atop one of the cathedral’s towers. Firefighters said on Wednesday that they had always known the lattice was at risk. Philippe Demay, a deputy fire chief who was among the first to arrive at the cathedral on Monday, said that firefighters knew “perfectly well” that if the roof caught fire, “it was going to be very complicated to stop.”
At 6:50 p.m. Wednesday, all cathedrals in France are expected to toll their bells in honor of a loss that has shocked the nation, and much of the world. Notre-Dame, one of the most recognizable structures in Paris, lost much its roof, large parts of its interior stone ceiling and some interior furnishings to the fire, and it remains unclear what damage has been done to the walls or cultural artifacts. Mr. Demay said that he had arrived at the site in less than three minutes, as the area around the cathedral was bustling with thousands of tourists, and that he and his colleagues had to quickly trudge up the cathedral’s narrow spiraling staircases with heavy equipment in tow — an exercise they had done many times before.
Mr. Macron’s plan to rebuild within five years has prompted debate about how Notre-Dame should be restored — identical to its older self, with similar materials, or in a newer fashion, with modern techniques? Myriam Chudzinski, another firefighter, said that once they got to the top, it was clear that the flames had already spread.
“It was very, very hot; we had to back up,” she said.
Mr. Philippe also said that the relics and artwork that firefighters had scrambled to save from the fire were transferred to the Louvre museum from Paris City Hall, where emergency workers had placed them for safekeeping in the immediate aftermath of the fire. Paris firefighters also said artwork that remained in the cathedral appeared surprisingly well preserved.
On Wednesday, the police continued to block access to the cathedral and to the area around it on the Île de la Cité, one of the islands in the Seine that lie at the heart of Paris. Tourists and Parisians alike pressed against police barricades along the river, snapping pictures of the beloved symbol of the city, now roofless, and pointing to a cluster of firefighters atop one of the cathedral’s towers.
Notre-Dame cathedral, one of the most recognizable structures in Paris, lost most its roof, large parts of its interior stone ceiling and some interior furnishings to the fire. Paris firefighters noted that the whole cathedral came close to being destroyed.
José Vaz de Matos, a firefighter who works with the Culture Ministry to help secure buildings and artwork, said that if the fire had reached the cathedral’s towers and the wooden belfries inside them, a catastrophic chain reaction would have ensued because the towers help support the whole building.
“If the fire had reached that wooden structure, the belfry was lost,” Mr. Vaz de Matos said. “And from the moment you lose the belfry, you lose the cathedral.”
Gabriel Plus, a spokesman for the Paris fire brigade, said at a news conference on Wednesday that about 60 firefighters were still at the cathedral to monitor the structure and to help the police and building experts navigate the building.
He said that firefighters had identified several remaining risks in the building: the gables, which were no longer supported by the roof’s woodwork and could be toppled by strong winds, and the metal scaffolding previously meant for renovation work, which was deformed by the fire and had to be removed. The vaulted stone ceiling was also covered with melted lead from the destroyed roof, he said, creating a potentially dangerous source of heat.
Mr. Macron’s plan to rebuild the cathedral within five years has prompted debate about how Notre-Dame should be restored — identical to its older self, with similar materials, or in a newer fashion, with modern techniques?
Isabelle Backouche, a historian at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris who specializes in urban history, said in an interview that she would not be shocked if reconstruction were done according to “modern plans.”Isabelle Backouche, a historian at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris who specializes in urban history, said in an interview that she would not be shocked if reconstruction were done according to “modern plans.”
“Each era copies what was done before and at the same time adds its own inventions,” she said, noting that parts of the cathedral — the world-famous chimeras, for instance — were 19th-century additions or renovations.“Each era copies what was done before and at the same time adds its own inventions,” she said, noting that parts of the cathedral — the world-famous chimeras, for instance — were 19th-century additions or renovations.
Investigators are continuing to question witnesses in order to determine what caused the fire, which, remarkably, caused only minor injuries to three people.
Rémy Heitz, the Paris prosecutor, said the investigation would be “long” and “complex,” but it has already become clear that little was in place to prevent the flames from coursing through the cathedral’s attic, a lattice of ancient wooden beams underneath a lead-covered roof.
Mr. Philippe said that the relics and artwork that firefighters had scrambled to save from the fire had been transferred to the Louvre museum from Paris City Hall, where emergency workers had first placed the pieces for safekeeping in the immediate aftermath of the fire.