The Artisans of Notre Dame
July 1, 2024
In April of 2019, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the roof of Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral while Parisians and the world watched in disbelief and horror as the main spire burned before dramatically toppling to the ground. Inside the cathedral, the original massive oak roof timbers fell in flames to the floor directly in front of the main altar, and countless other precious features were damaged or destroyed. President Emmanuel Macron soon vowed that the beloved cathedral would be restored and open to the public by December of 2024. After the extent of the damage was revealed, skepticism prevailed at Macron’s optimistic prediction. As of September 2024, the re-opening is on schedule.
In front of the cathedral’s famous Gothic towers, on the tall scaffolding that separates the public square from the renovation areas, a series of black and white photographs is displayed. The images represent the artisans, craftspeople, architects, engineers, archeologists, and more selected from all over the world to contribute their specialized skills to the reconstruction of the 861-year-old cathedral. The team’s stunning black and white portraits are sublime in their artistry, each craftsperson posed looking heavenward or gazing lovingly at his or her specialized tools. An ethereal esthetic prevails in each photograph; each artisan or team of workers is framed as if in a vignette. The care taken with the compositions seems to reflect the magnitude of their tasks. The project is especially challenging because their assignments, from timber framing and plastering to sculpting, glassmaking, and fine painting, have been directed to be completed as much as possible with the types of hand tools and traditional techniques used to construct the original structure.
In December 2023, the Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich presided over the ceremony which returned a new golden rooster to the top of the spire, the original rooster being mostly destroyed in the fire. Inside the rooster are the names of the more than 800 artisans tasked with the restoration. It is a well-deserved tribute to their Herculean efforts. My June 2024 visit to Paris was filled with trips to more than twenty “must-see” museums, gardens, and monuments, but the spot I returned to repeatedly was to study the strikingly beautiful photographs of the Notre-Dame artisans. I plan to return to Paris when the cathedral’s reconstruction and restoration are complete to admire, study, and appreciate the almost impossible task of reopening France’s most famous landmark.
I haven’t been able to locate an official catalog or website with the photographs of the artisans, so please excuse the quality of the images. I took them on a bright sunny day.
