Five years after the iconic cathedral was badly damaged by a fire, the Notre-Dame de Paris has been restored to its former glory — well, almost. It’s a little bit different, a little cleaner and more sanitized compared to its previous look, but that’s a good thing, right?
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, took a tour of the refurbished site on Friday morning in what was the world’s first in-depth look at the new and “improved” Notre-Dame. At the end of the tour, Macron took the time to thank those involved in restoring the building, “You did your alchemy here on this site to turn charred coals into art.”
What happened to Notre-Dame?
On April 15, 2019, a fire broke out in the cathedral which rapidly grew out of control. The raging flames quickly burned through the structure, with authorities doing everything they could to put out the fire. Although they were able to somewhat control the inferno, it continued throughout the night and into the next day before it was finally stopped.
By that point, the structure had been severely damaged, with most of the roof being destroyed. The iconic spire crashed and burned, and it was easy to believe the beautiful cathedral would never be the same again.
The repairs
After more than five years of meticulous planning and rebuilding, Notre-Dame will reopen its doors for the public to experience on December 7. However, from what’s been shown so far, it seems like people aren’t exactly impressed with the renovations.
One individual on X claimed that the building felt too clean and new, lamenting all the history which has been lost to the flames.
Another claimed it was no longer authentic, blaming it on the lighting being too bright.
lighting too bright, it lose its authentic atmosphere
— theplanisyourfriend (@theplanisyourf1) November 29, 2024
A third chimed in with arguably the most devastating comparison, saying that the old cathedral was giving shopping mall vibes.
Gives me shopping mall vibes
— NAFO No Name No Number (@NAFO_boobsquad) November 29, 2024
While the work done to restore this French landmark has been incredible, you can definitely see what they’re talking about. Compared to old pictures of the interior from before the fire, it just seems so sterile and devoid of the personality it once had.
Not everyone agreed, however, with some commenting on the beautiful look of the interior.
Others believed that the cathedral had actually become more authentic due to the limestone being cleaned and allowing the colors to show once more. This is arguably closer to what it would have looked like when it was first built in 1163.
If anything, it’s far more authentic now than it was in 2019. It’s been heavily cleaned from its dirt and grime, and the pristine beige is visible yet again. Gothic architecture is all about light! It was literally the very purpose of its creation!
— Jonas_00_ (@MrJonas00) November 29, 2024
Of course, with that accumulated dirt came years of accumulated history, and it’s hard not to feel like some of that has been lost forever in the fire. That being said, could anyone have come up with a better idea for making the renovations feel more authentic? In the end, it’s nobody’s fault, it’s just a sad fact that Notre-Dame will never quite be the same again — at least it’s still standing and will hopefully be around for future generations to appreciate.
Published: Nov 29, 2024 11:12 am