The rector of Notre Dame Cathedral did not deliver an optimistic message about the fate of the centuries-old church as reconstruction efforts continue.
In April, a blaze devastated the cathedral after the roof caught fire and the famed spire toppled into the building. French authorities believe the inferno was sparked by construction crews that were doing maintenance on the building. That same construction project could still destroy the church, even though the fire was put out months ago.
The problem, according to Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, is that 50,000 tubes of scaffolding were etched across the cathedral when the fire started, and many of them were damaged. When they take down the scaffolding, it could destroy the cathedral beyond repair.
“Today, it is not out of danger. It will be out of danger when we take out the remaining scaffolding,” he explained to the Associated Press. “Today, we can say that there is maybe a 50% chance that it will be saved. There is also 50% chance of scaffolding falling onto the three vaults, so as you can see, the building is still very fragile.”
He noted that reconstruction will likely not begin until 2021 because removal of the scaffolding is so tedious. French President Emmanuel Macron set a goal of completing the reconstruction before the country hosts the 2024 Olympic games, but that could be a lofty target.
“We need to remove completely the scaffolding in order to make the building safe, so in 2021, we will probably start the restoration of the cathedral,” Chauvet explained. “Once the scaffolding is removed, we need to assess the state of the cathedral, the quantity of stones to be removed and replaced.”
This year, Christmas mass was held at a nearby cathedral, making it the first time since the French Revolution that there was not a midnight mass at Notre Dame Cathedral.
