Last week, Athena managed to visit Nôtre-Dame in Paris for the first time since the disastrous fire in 2019. Now that the gigantic roofs and central spire have been re-created with the timber of about 2,000 oak trees, it’s wonderful to see the familiar outline of the building presiding over the city once more.
Only around the exterior of the transepts and east end of the cathedral do the scaffolding and stacked Portakabins serve as a reminder that the work of restoration continues on a massive scale. Even so, the church itself has been publicly accessible since December 2024 and the western towers opened some three weeks ago.
Stepping through the monumental western portals with their ranks of statuary, the vast interior with its cleaned stonework feels totally different to its dark and dirty pre-fire predecessor. When Nôtre-Dame was begun in about 1163, it aimed to be the tallest church north of the Alps, the vault rising 115ft, and the lateral dimensions were exceeded only by those of the great Abbey of Cluny. That scale is now manifest again. By comparison, the vault of Durham Cathedral rises a mere 74ft.
It’s hard to feel anything but admiration for what has been achieved. Considering the scale of the damage, the speed of the work has been remarkable. Added to which — in Athena’s view and contrary to French tendency — the fabric has not been over-restored (although it has been overlit). Athena was delighted to marvel at all this, but — sad to say — she won’t be hurrying back. This is not a judgement on the building, but the experience of her visit. Simply put, the sheer weight of people made it extremely hard to enjoy or admire.
'In the half year to June since its reopening, more than six million people filed through the doors. That’s one million people every month or 35,000 people a day'
Despite the steady rain, there was a 25-minute queue just to get into the building (which remains free to visit). The statistics are astonishing and speak for themselves. In the half year to June since its reopening, more than six million people filed through the doors. That’s one million people every month or 35,000 people a day.
By comparison, the British Museum received that total number of visitors — 6.5 million — during the whole of 2024 and the Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, 8.7 million. Both have infinitely more space to absorb the crowds. Perhaps things will calm down, but Athena doubts it.
Leaving Nôtre-Dame for calmer places, it struck her as well that this exemplary restoration throws into yet sharper relief the sorry treatment of the other great parish churches across the city (and far beyond as well). Many look down at heel, but not necessarily through lack of use. In France, the state ownership of church buildings is condemning many to neglect. For all the difficulties faced by parish churches in the UK, their situation is arguably much happier. Restoring the cathedral of Paris is a great achievement. It should not, however, obscure what remains to be done
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