On 15 April 2019, the Notre Dame Cathedral went up in flames. Parts of the 13th century medieval cathedral were completely destroyed, including the building’s 300-foot (91 metre) spire and roof.
The fire garnered almost $1-billion in pledges within a few days of the blaze. This sparked major controversy as many stated that the money should go toward fixing social inequalities rather than the historic building.
Read: Notre Dame goes up in flames
In light of this, restorations of the building have proven to be extremely complex. The cathedral is still at high risk of collapsing, according to The Guardian.
Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, the French general appointed to oversee reconstruction by President Macron, explained that the entire process is extremely complex. He explains that fused scaffolding around the spire needs to be removed, which is a ‘delicate operation’.
Speaking to CNews, Georgelin said that: ‘The cathedral is still in a state of peril.’ He then continued to explain that the scaffolding needs to be removed.
The conditions of the ceiling vaults are not entirely known, making disintegration and collapse a possibility. If the scaffolding fell on to the stone vaults, which have been weakened by the inferno, then the structure may not be saved. According to the cathedral’s rector, Monseigneur Patrick Chauvet, there is about a 50% chance of this happening.
‘It will be out of danger when we take out the remaining scaffolding, Chauvet said.
‘Today we can say there is maybe a 50% chance that it will be saved. There is also a 50% chance of the scaffolding falling on the three vaults, so as you can see the building is still very fragile,’ Chauvet
A study will be conducted to understand the full extent of the damage. When this information is known, restoration work will begin. This is expected to be in 2021.
Also read: Notre Dame roof could be rebuilt as greenhouse and beehive
Image: Instagram
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