Reinstallation of a first statue on the spire of Notre-Dame

Lifted by a huge crane, the copper statue of Saint Paul was replaced on the step it had occupied since the mid-15th century on the roof of Notre-Dame, at the foot of the spire which had been completely destroyed by flames on April 2019, XNUMX.

Thanks to a long-planned renovation, the 16 statues representing the apostles and the Gospels escaped the fire that ravaged part of the cathedral, which was rebuilt identically as part of a titanic project lasting more than five years.

Following €700 million of renovations, this XNUMXth-century Gothic masterpiece reopened to the public at the beginning of December, but remains partially surrounded by scaffolding to complete its renovation.

The return of this first statue to Notre-Dame, before the other 15 by the end of July, is a "new great moment in the restoration (...) of our cathedral," said the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Laurent Ulrich, who blessed the sculpture before it rose into the air.

Designed in 1857 by the architect Viollet-le-Duc, these 16 statues, each 3,4 metres high, were renovated between 2019 and 2021 in Dordogne (southwest) and have been on display at the Cité de l'architecture in Paris since the beginning of 2023.

It is the imminent completion of the work on covering the spire that has allowed the return of the statues to their original location to begin.

"A circle has come full circle today," declared Philippe Jost, president of the public institution in charge of the Notre-Dame reconstruction project, describing it as "a new symbolic moment."

The renovation of the 16 statues cost approximately 1,4 million euros, 85% of which was raised by the Notre-Dame Foundation.

These statues "embody a generosity that preceded the tragedy (of the fire, editor's note) and a universal attachment to Notre-Dame," declared the vice-president of this foundation, Robert Leblanc, quoted in a press release.