Has anyone taken a tour (interior or exterior) of Notre Dame which is focused on the restoration after the fire? I am most interested in this topic but can’t seem to see much with this emphasis. We’ve been to the Cathedral and will definitely be going in on our own but would love to hear some stories about the restoration. We will be there in early September. Thanks!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
3499 posts
It is not allowed for anyone to charge for a tour within the cathedral. It is an operating church, and the only tours allowed inside are free ones, from volunteers of CASA. They meet outside the cathedral. It is my understanding their commentary is more related to the religious aspect. Re the restoration, a paid tour can discuss this outside the church. No one is allowed to profit from a visit inside the church. You may find the name of some tour guides on Trip Advisor. If anyone does say they have an interior tour (at a cost), they are in violation of the rules and protocols of this house of worship. Some people have viewed some of the many shows about the restoration (PBS for example) before their visit.
Posted by
3283 posts
All churches in France built before 1905 are owned by the French government, which is why Notre Dame is always free and open to the general public. Work continues on the outside of Notre Dame. There have been a number of documentaries of the reconstruction, many are still available on Youtube.
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
12717 posts
You might find this thread I posted last year interesting. It contains an article that details the work on the restoration and was pretty fascinating, I thought. It was posted shortly before the reopening of Notre Dame.
Posted by
Boston
488 posts
I don't know if it's still there, but during and immediately after the major part of the restoration, there was a series of large pictures along the whole north side of the cathedral, showing and explaining different facets of the restoration, the products used, the artisans and the process. It's was absolutely fascinating and, if it's still there, I urge you to have a look.
There was also a great program on PBS that, if you can find it, showed the process. That was great too.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
965 posts
Available on the PBS App to stream:
NOVA
Rebuilding Notre Dame
Season 49
Episode 13
In April 2019, the world watched as a devastating fire almost destroyed Paris’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Go behind the scenes with a team of engineers, masons, and timber workers tackling the daunting challenges of restoring the historic landmark.
However, brilliant as the episode was, when I visited last year I was left wondering about some windows on the second level that appear to be modern.
The NOVA episode shows how thoroughly the Cathedral was studied in the decade before the fire - and digitally measured and documented - so that Notre Dame could be restored, as well as how well France has studied, learned and practiced medieval construction techniques so that artisans could do the job. Incroyable!
Posted by
Chicago
9772 posts
The murals explaining everything were still up in May when we were last there. I suspect they will be up until they finish the outside and open up the park behind the Cathedral where the temporary office stack is now.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
3320 posts
The murals outlining the restoration process were up two weeks ago