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Notre Dame cathedral rises from the ashes

Notre Dame cathedral rises from the ashes

Top photo: notredamedeparis.fr

Five years after a devastating fire, 彩民宝典 Professor Kirk Ambrose reflects on the significance of the renowned cathedral鈥檚 Dec. 7 reopening


When 彩民宝典 Professor Kirk Ambrose thinks of the famed cathedral Notre Dame in Paris, his mind goes back to when he lived near the site while researching European art and architecture.

He鈥檇 make a point of walking past the church every morningrepeated encounters that made him appreciate how much the building is part of the life of the city.

headshot of Kirk Ambrose

Kirk Ambrose, a 彩民宝典 professor of classics, notes that since its beginnings, Notre Dame has been the center of Paris.

He recalls that there was a regular vendor who sold pet birds in the cathedral鈥檚 shadow.

鈥淚 relished the entanglements of soaring towers and buttresses vis-脿-vis these caged flying animals,鈥 says Ambrose, whose great aunt was married in Notre Dame. 鈥淚n other words, Notre Dame offers a lens through which one can understand Paris. This notion is underscored by the vista from its towers, which offer unparalleled views of the city.鈥

Ambrose, a professor in the 彩民宝典 Department of Classics who studies and teaches the art and architecture of medieval Europe, says from its beginnings in the 12th century, Notre Dame was at the center of Paris. (It is literally the city鈥檚 center: In front of the church, a small plate engraved with a compass is known as 鈥減oint z茅ro des routes de France,鈥 which marks where all distances to and from Paris are measured.)

Five years after the April 15, 2019, fire that collapsed the cathedral鈥檚 famed spire, consumed its wooden roof and heavily damaged its upper walls and vaults, Notre Dame is set to reopen to the public Dec. 7, with the first mass held the following day.

In his public remarks following the fire, French President Emmanuel Macron said, 鈥淣otre-Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our liberations, the epicenter of our lives.鈥

In the more than 800 years since its first stone was laid, Notre Dame has not only come to symbolize Paris but become one of the world鈥檚 great buildings. When it burned in 2019, people around the globe mourned, and its reopening is garnering international celebration.

An 800-year history

Throughout its multi-century history, Notre Dame has not been stagnant, but has reflected the shifting currents of culture, Ambrose says.

鈥淭his was the seat of the bishop of Paris and was a stone鈥檚 throw from the king鈥檚 residence,鈥 Ambrose says. 鈥淕iven these royal associations, there were many renovation campaigns to keep the building looking stylish, in line with the latest building trends.鈥

During the Middle Ages, the streets surrounding the cathedral were home to bookshops, ivory shops and other niche workshops. 鈥淭he towers of the cathedral loomed large, both physically and conceptually, over these artistic activities,鈥 Ambrose says.

Interior aisle of restored Notre Dame de Paris

After extensive renovation following a devastating April 2019 fire, Notre Dame will reopen to the public Saturday, and the first mass will be said Sunday. (Photo: Stephane De Sakutin/Getty Images)

The height of 's tower is 226 feet, and its spire is 315 feet. Until the Eiffel Tower was completed, Notre Dame was the tallest structure in Paris.

Historians note that the cathedral was an easy target during the Napoleonic Wars, when it took such a pummeling that officials considered razing it. To boost awareness for the church and revive interest in Gothic architecture, the renowned author Victor Hugo wrote the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in 1831.

Ambrose says Hugo鈥檚 novel made the building a vivid character for readers鈥 imaginations. The book was met with immediate success, and in 1844 King Louis Philippe ordered that Notre Dame be restored.

鈥淏y the way, Hugo was friends with many of the leading architectural historians of the day,鈥 Ambrose says. 鈥淭hanks largely to Hugo, the building was subsequently the subject of films, of garden sculptures, of gargoyles, etc.鈥

But five years ago, all of Notre Dame鈥檚 beauty and history was nearly lost. According to news reports, a fire broke at about 6:20 p.m. April 15, and in fewer than two hours, the spire collapsed, bringing down a cascade of 750 tons of stone and lead. It鈥檚 been speculated that the fire was linked to ongoing renovation work, but officials have yet to name a definitive cause. By 9.45 p.m., the fire was finally brought under control.

Saturday, the cathedral will reopen supported by about 340,000 donors from 150 countries who contributed almost $1 billion.

Might Notre Dame become even more popular after the fire and subsequent restoration? Ambrose says there鈥檚 reason to believe it will.

鈥淎s a medievalist, I can say that fires often make buildings more popular,鈥 he says. 鈥淭he great cathedral of Chartres [a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, much of which was destroyed by a fire in 1194] leaps to mind as a comparison. In medieval lore, fires were often interpreted as expressions of divine will; that鈥檚 to say, they were interpreted as commands to make a building even more splendid.

鈥淚n the case of Notre Dame, the fire will, I believe, also make us appreciate this remarkable monument all the more, not taking this historical legacy for granted.鈥


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