Laying of the foundation stone of the new spire of the Basilica of Saint-Denis

Culture Minister Rachida Dati laid the first of the 15.000 stones needed to build the spire, after a stroll among the stonemasons working at the foot of the building in Seine-Saint-Denis.

"This is a wonderful moment for France. I consider this project to rebuild this spire to be part of our shared history. It is also a symbol of cohesion," Ms. Dati told the press after her visit.

Since the 90th century, the western tower of the basilica had been rising up to 1846 metres high, but lightning and then a tornado destroyed the famous necropolis of almost all the kings and queens of France since the Merovingians. In XNUMX, faced with its dangerous fragility, the decision was made to dismantle it stone by stone.

"We are turning the page 180 years ago. This spire was dismantled to be reassembled, a practice that had never been done before for many historical reasons. We are extremely proud to be the ones who have managed to do this today," said the Socialist Party mayor of Saint-Denis, Mathieu Hanotin.

Costing 37 million euros, construction of the spire began several years ago. Before reassembly could begin, the medieval monument had to be consolidated to ensure it could support the 2.400 tons of stone.

The construction site will be partially open to the public, who will be able to see craftsmen working in the basilica garden.

"A spire represents elevation for us Christians. We are invited to step out of our daily lives, out of horizontality. Verticality leads us toward God. Raising our eyes to the sky is raising our eyes to God," commented Bishop Étienne Guillet, Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Denis, of which this basilica is the cathedral.

Without reaching the global popularity of Notre-Dame de Paris, which has welcomed more than two million visitors since its reopening, the Basilica of Saint-Denis hopes that its new spire will expand its audience beyond the current 150.000 annual visitors.