Speaker 1 (00:00):
Five years after a devastating fire gutted a world icon, Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral is just days away from reopening. France's President, Emmanuel Macron, toured the monument today, and his visit provided some first glimpses of this extraordinary restoration. Special correspondent, Malcolm Brabant, went to Paris to meet some of the expert artists and artisans whose skills have preserved Our Lady for centuries to come.
Malcolm Brabant (00:30):
With every passing day, as scaffolding is removed, the scar on the Parisian skyline heals a little more. After 2,063 days of being outside the construction site perimeter, Parisians will finally reclaim their cathedral. It's taken five and a half years and three-quarters of a billion donated dollars for this World Heritage phoenix to rise from the ashes.
(00:55)
After the fire, President Macron set a five-year deadline for the restoration of Notre Dame, which some people thought was insufficient time. But a dedicated and skillful army of artists, artisans, and craftsmen has succeeded.
(01:10)
And, today, a week before a service of rededication, the French president came for a final inspection.
Dr. Dorothee Chaoui-Derieux (01:17):
The cathedral, as you will rediscover, is very different from the one everyone remembered.
Malcolm Brabant (01:22):
Archeologist, Dorothee Chaoui-Derieux, led teams identifying and cataloging collapsed remains so they could be correctly used in the reconstruction. She's also a founder of the Artisans Choir. This is one of their last rehearsals before Notre Dame reopens for worship.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
(singing)
Dr. Dorothee Chaoui-Derieux (01:47):
The masonry in particular was very dark. It was the dust of centuries that had finally accumulated. Me, in my memory, I really had the image of a very, very dark, very dark cathedral. The stained-glass windows had not been cleaned for a very long time as well. There, we will find a stone that is very, very blonde.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
(singing)
Dr. Dorothee Chaoui-Derieux (02:12):
It's true that it's a cathedral of light today that we're going to rediscover, which doesn't correspond at all to the image we had of it. But I'm sure it will really please all those who will have the chance to rediscover it.
Malcolm Brabant (02:24):
One imperative was to reconstruct the distinctive ornamental spire, fashioned from 500 tons of timber, and coated with 250 tons of lead. Patrick Jouenne was the lead carpenter.
Patrick Jouenne (02:37):
It's going to come back to the Parisian landscape for many years to come. It's truly a source of pride, personally, and for the group of carpenters who worked with me. It's really an honor.
Malcolm Brabant (02:51):
As Jouenne watched flames consume the spire, a sixth sense drove him to give up his job southwest of Paris.
Patrick Jouenne (02:59):
I'm a believer, but not very religious. I always thought that I would be the one to rebuild the spire. Was it a gift, or at least a sign? I never doubted it. When I left my job, I didn't have confirmation that I'd be working on the rebuild, but I always felt like something was guiding me.
Malcolm Brabant (03:16):
But he set about recreating the 19-century vision of architect, Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc.
Patrick Jouenne (03:24):
We had to use exactly the same techniques as before, or at least assemble things as closely as possible, to make it look 100% like what was there before. So I looked back at the documents from 1858, by the carpenter at the time, and wow, what an honor to touch the papers drawn by the former workers involved in the project. It was really moving.
Malcolm Brabant (03:48):
Mission accomplished, the workers gathered in the nave to listen to the president singing their praises.
President Emmanuel Macron (03:57):
We owe this metamorphosis to you. You were the magicians of this construction site and you changed charcoal into art.
Dominique Perrault (04:09):
In France, there's a very, very important historical heritage. There are schools dedicated to preserving this know-how.
Malcolm Brabant (04:16):
Dominique Perrault is one of France's most distinguished architects and town planners, renowned for modern designs and repurposing historic buildings.
Dominique Perrault (04:29):
And the know-how of all these craftspeople is a marvel, a treasure. And Notre-Dame is an absolute perfect demonstration of this. It's wonderful what has happened to Notre-Dame, this new life, and a country, truly a country behind this restoration, behind this ambition of restitution. At last, France has risen up as one to say, "Let's rebuild. Let's rebuild. Let's rebuild right away."
Malcolm Brabant (04:56):
Thanks in no small part to the leadership of this man, whose royal sense of humor disguises a passion for his vocation. This humble cubicle is the domain of Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect of France's national monuments.
Philippe Villeneuve (05:15):
When I was young, I used to build my model of Notre Dame out of wood, cardboard, whatever you like. And when I closed the vault of the North Transept, which was the first vault we closed, well, I felt like I was still 16. But then I was working on the real thing, and that's where I still can't quite get over the fact that I'm the one in charge.
Malcolm Brabant (05:36):
Villeneuve insists that no corners have been cut in the drive to meet President Macron's deadline.
Philippe Villeneuve (05:44):
When you look at the photos just after the fire, when you look at the way it looks now, you say to yourself, "There's no way we could have done this in five years or so." In fact, we were able to do it because we had the means, thanks to the donors, both large and small. And we really have to thank them because this is the first time we've been able to say that we've built a cathedral almost entirely from the inside out.
Malcolm Brabant (06:04):
So what's the judgment of Villeneuve's peers?
Dominique Perrault (06:11):
Perhaps if we'd been under Napoleon, we might have imagined something different. And maybe in 50 years, 200 years, when Notre Dame catches fire once again, maybe there will be other ideas. But, today, as we've seen with the Olympic Games, Paris is a city that puts great importance on its heritage. Restoring Notre Dame to its original form was certainly the right choice.
Malcolm Brabant (06:39):
But is there anything you would've done differently?
Dominique Perrault (06:42):
No, the same way.
Anna Russakoff (06:44):
Notre Dame lives up to the old medieval motto of Paris that she floats with the waves but never sinks.
Malcolm Brabant (06:52):
Anna Russakoff is Professor of Art History at the American University of Paris.
(06:57)
How do you think history will judge the reconstruction of Notre Dame?
Anna Russakoff (07:02):
I think they did a very solid job. They've really preserved a lot of the monument, and kept it in a way that's quite recognizable to people. And, also, preserving a lot of the earlier medieval building techniques and materials. And this is something that hopefully will last for hundreds of years to come.
Malcolm Brabant (07:21):
Even in driving snow, people come to feast their eyes. Among them, Dr. Paul Rock, who, as a history major, first visited Notre Dame 35 years ago. Rock is now senior pastor at the American Church in Paris.
Dr. Paul Rock (07:36):
I believe that we're all inherently spiritual, and there's something about this space, even in a secular state like France, that brings people together. And calls together both the historical and, also, the revolutionary past that brings us to higher ideals of equality and unity and love.
Malcolm Brabant (07:58):
The bells, the bells, and the sound of worship, are making their presence felt after a long absence. This was the return of a medieval statue, known as the Virgin of Paris.
Dr. Paul Rock (08:09):
Thousands of Parisians, in this secular country, sang songs, and held candles, and processed back with her to Notre Dame. To me, it was just the epitome of, yeah, things burn down, and the world can feel very divided, and we fall down. But with perseverance, we stand back up again. And so, Notre Dame, to me, is a symbol of the perseverance of hope.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
(singing)
Malcolm Brabant (08:40):
These past five years may have seemed like an eternity, but viewed through the prism of Notre Dame's 860-yearlong history, the fire and her renaissance are just a moment in time. For the PBS News Hour, I'm Malcolm Brabant in Paris.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
(singing)