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“You did it. And it’s an immense source of pride for the entire nation. I’m infinitely grateful to you, France is infinitely grateful to you,” Macron told them in an address at the site on Friday.
Hundreds of construction workers, artisans, carpenters, glassmakers, sculptors, gliders, and other restoration specialists contributed to the lengthy project. Two thousand oak trees from forests around France were utilized to replace the cathedral’s wood panelings, beams, and roof, while around 2,000 other features of the building were either restored or completely rebuilt.
Archways, gargoyles, and ornamental roofing were also restored and remade. Artisans did much of the construction using medieval tools to maintain the building’s traditional aesthetic. (Ideas to “modernize” the building floated by the French government were met with swift and widespread disapproval.)
A new golden rooster was added to Notre-Dame’s famous spire, which appeared against the Paris skyline in December 2023, while the rest of the building was still clad in scaffolding. In keeping with French tradition, French general Jean-Louis Georgelin, who oversaw the reconstruction efforts before his death in a mountain accident in August 2023, had his name engraved in the wood of the spire. A sealed tube containing the names of all 2,000 workers was also placed inside the aforementioned golden rooster. (The old rooster, salvaged from the rubble, will be on display in a new museum dedicated to Notre-Dame.)
How much did the reconstruction cost?
The entire bill for the colossal, lengthy rebuild was approximately $767 million. The cost of restoring the iconic stained glass windows alone was estimated around $3 million. Some 340,000 donors across 150 countries rasied $928 million for the effort; restoration chief Philippe Jost reported that €140 million (approximately $148 million) still remains from the donation fund. Any unspent money will go towards the cathedral’s future preservations, reportedly.
How did the fashion world react?
Paris, of course, is home to a pantheon of fashion houses, and at the time of the blaze in 2019, designers from Riccardo Tisci to Clare Waight Keller, Anthony Vaccarello, Olivier Rousteing, and Jean Paul Gaultier shared their sadness.
Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault donated $113 million for the restoration, while LVMH’s Bernard Arnault pledged $226 million. The Bettencourt Meyers family, which controls L’Oreal, also pledged $226 million.
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