Truly magnificent. Spoiled only by the thought that at least 2 people from America who want to end it's promise of peace have already been there and disrespected the space
Congratulations to all the artists, artisans, skilled craftsmen & women who’s tireless devotion in past 5+years saw triumphant grand reopening of Notre Dame. Bravo! Frances Triumph.
Imagine if they could've restored Grenfell after 7 years, rehomed those who survived, compensation for the families who lost loved ones and ensured that 80% of tower blocks wouldn't still be dangerous to live in.
If a similar thing had happened to St Paul's, it would still be in scaffolding, and for many years to come before being restored to exactly how it looked before, no reimagining or acknowledgement of the year of it's restoration, history preserved in formaldehyde. The French do it better.
It is beautiful… but how much is spent past and present on the grandeur of the state and the mythical being… how much could we mobilise to support our societal growth… all I hear is let’s cut benefits…
Well not always tbf. Where I now reside, benefits are generally seen to be a good thing, yes there is a cry to reduce abuse but not cut… though I’m not sure how much abuse actually happens.
There was an architect student I think it was who'd done a 3D scan of "le forêt" as they called the mass of roof timbers that were destroyed. Lucky for them because his work enabled les charpentiers to re-do it exactly as it was, using old methods too and thousands of trees from all over France.
It's already 24yrs since I left France and spoke/wrote French daily, so yes, I do still sometimes make mistakes. The skill of the workers was/is extraordinary as was learning about how it was done first time around.
Thanks for posting this. It's beautiful. It has been a long, long time since I was in Paris but I remember the beauty & uniqueness of Notre Dame. I remember that it was dark inside, yellowed with age. If there was a blessing from that terrible fire, it is the beauty of it's restoration.
Well done France, a celebration of craftsmanship and European 'yes we can' attitude. The rebuild it seems had led to major interest of the young in joining the Crafts Trades.
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There’s something almost (?) mystical and certainly mysterious about being able to see a building as the original builders& worshippers did 800+ years ago. Can’t wait to go.
Very nice .But I don't think Jesus would've approved .Especially with the rise in people being poor and getting poorer every day. This is a symbol for rich people to try and buy themselves into heaven .Look, I gave a million to restoring that.
Why can’t we simply enjoy this sublime beauty without making it into a zero-sum falsely equivalent crusade for the poor and downtrodden? We’re all aware how unfair the world is, but beauty like this transcends our daily struggles and brings us all together.
But it doesn't.
This is supposed to be a church, the house of the Lord .A place where the poor and displaced should get help .
How many homeless people living on the streets were moved on, so the dignitaries attending the opening wouldn't see them.It would have been better if they built a kitchen
room for beds to shelter and feed the poor. On the side of the building. The statues inside are graven images, a single in the bible. What have they come to worship .God or the self congratulations on spending money.
I have been thinking about this the last few days . And I have a question .Is Notre Dame still a house of God. Because I think Jesus is outside with the poor, homeless, and war torn displaced .And not inside praising the architecture.
Yes truly amazing it was staggering the speed donations came in, reminds me of Grenfell & the stark differences in treatments, literally turns my stomach
Well done the French. Meanwhile in England we’re still waiting for the local council to fix Stonehenge. When are we gonna get them lintels back up on them sarsens eh?
I adore period architecture and the Notre-Dame is high on my list of cathedrals to visit. Last one I visited was Canterbury and it was good but not as elegant as Notre-Dame
I wonder what the cost and lost time would have been if similar work had been undertaken in the UK during the same era.
Consider the corruption, like assigning inappropriate contractors via a VIP lane etc.
I once a beautiful marble effigy of a young woman from the Middle ages, before and after "restoration", before it looked its age, yet still stunningly beautiful, after it looked plastic. I get the same looking at these pictures. I hope when I return I get the same feeling of wonder I first visited.
The skills and ingenuity of artisans, together with the knowledge of engineers and finance from the wealthy has allowed this beautiful building a fabulous renaissance.
I love history, especially things that have survived the ages. So I love that this building defied the flames. Yet I'm conflicted because there are so many better causes for all that $$$ in our burning world.
Most of the money was spent on French artisans. You could throw money at something like a railway line between London and Birmingham if you really wanted to spaff money up the wall.
There are certainly many many better causes than HS2 for the odd 100 billion. Renovating a cathedral wouldn’t be my number one alternative, but anything’s better than an unnecessary transit in the world of TEAMS.
I agree. But Birmingham isn’t far from London. The countryside has been desecrated. Currently it’s not London it’s Old Oak Common, and if the pandemic taught us anything, it’s surely that 80% of business can be done online. #HS2 has been crippled to the point of being utterly pointless.
Actually, it’s more to do with releasing space on the lines for transportation of goods and food than passengers! And people still have to get to work - even with TEAMS available- you know, teachers , nurses etc!
I understand about people getting to work but do we know what % of teachers/nurses (why is it always teachers and nurses?) have convenient railway stations both ends of their journey and hence would be tempted to use the unleashed capacity of their local rail line because of #HS2? Now if you could
That is my understanding too. The problem isn't trains, but the cack-handed way we execute every big project in this country. As usual the north got shafted.
Comments
It's breathtakingly gorgeous.
There was a time when the rich exploited the poor in order to create breathtakingly beautiful things
Best wishes,
David
Interesting article in English
Despite our national riches - and the riches of the church of the very cathedral that’s been rebuilt - the world’s people are still impoverished.
We could do both, but we all know why “we” don’t.
GREED.
Marvin
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The skilled craftspeople are clearly available.
I was shocked to read recently that there will be no insurance payout for the second fire.
Did they donated any $$$ for the renovation? Didn’t think so .
This is supposed to be a church, the house of the Lord .A place where the poor and displaced should get help .
How many homeless people living on the streets were moved on, so the dignitaries attending the opening wouldn't see them.It would have been better if they built a kitchen
Left a very powerful impression on me then, that I have never forget. I'm 57 now.
It looks too stark and not anywhere as soft and comfortable as it was.
Consider the corruption, like assigning inappropriate contractors via a VIP lane etc.